A Ring Never to be Destroyed
by Thaelos
Summary: Set after LoTR. Frodo returns to the Shire, rejoining his companions. But a mysterious hobbit has appeared from seemingly nowhere and her knowledge of Frodo seems odd but little Frodo know that he would soon be off on another adventure. ~Complete~
1. Sleep lightly master Frodo

Disclaimer: I don't own lord of the rings or claim to, but i own Shrell. She is my character you can't use her (i'm not saying you'd want to).

Warning: i get carried away with commas,,,,,,, (don't be confused if you see one in the wrong place). 

March 21

The Shire. It came into view, but it wasn't the peaceful Shire once known to the halflings. There was screaming and fighting, the houses were burning with fire, and weapons of small peaceful hobbits clashed. The sky was blacker than night, and the air was thicker than pitch. Smoke clouded everything and hung in the air like doom that could not be escaped. Small hobbits hid in the shadows, while the elder ones fought, but what they were fighting was something that couldn't be seen, only felt.......evil. Soon everything was destroyed but one tree, a beautiful, tall, majestic tree, atop a hill, that glowed a silvery color in the dim light. Next to it stood a dark cloaked figure, it's face not revealed, yet it did not have the feel of evil. Then one last scream ended the battle. All that could be seen were dark dripping creatures with pink glowing eyes that crawled among the rubble devouring the flesh of the dead hobbits. 

Frodo awoke with a start. Every part of the dream was so vivid and yet so unclear. He watch ed his hands shake until they stopped, then glanced around the dark room. He laid his head back down on the pillow but spent the rest of the night tossing and turning restlessly til morning.

March 22

Gandalf, I had a horrible dream last night Frodo told the wizard. It was half past noon and they were sitting at a small table in a sunlit room. I miss the Shire more and more every day Frodo thought out loud.

Perhaps you should go back to it, Frodo Gandalf said in a low voice without looking at Frodo. 

Gandalf, you know i couldn't possibly-- Frodo started but Gandalf cut him off.

asked the wizard.

Frodo fell silent at this. He could return, but did he really want to? He always used to dream of the ring. He would walk in his sleep endlessly searching for it til morning, when it would pain him even more and it always seemed just out of reach.

I really have no reason to return. My place is here with all of you, the ring bearers Frodo felt like he was lying as he sad this, but tried his best not to show it.

Perhaps, Frodo, perhaps the wizard just sort of trailed off, and then stared out the window for what seemed like ages.

Frodo continued to wonder about what he had said for long into the night. He had a talk with Galadriel around 5:00 and she seemed to agree with Gandalf even though Frodo hadn't told her anything....she just seemed to know.

At night he dreamed of the Shire and the horrible fight. Every time it got more vivid and more horrible, and in the day he was troubled by thoughts of the Shire and was turn about staying or returning. What if the dreams were true or help some truth? What if they weren't? What would he say to Sam, if they weren't? Hi, I thought there was a battle in the Shire, but i guess not. Mind if I come in for tea? Frodo hated the thought and hated being caught in the embarrassment of such strange ideas, but what if they were true? He also hated the thought of all the kind little hobbits dead.

After thinking a lot he decided to return to the Shire. If nothing was wrong then he would say he was visiting. now where is Gandalf......to be continued.


	2. Return to the Shire

March 24 

Are you sur you won't come, Gandalf? Frodo asked. The ship would be taking off any time soon and Frodo really wanted him to come. 

Frodo, you know my place is now here the wizard told him, but we shall meet again. 

Goodbye Bilbo. I shall miss you very much Frodo said trying hard to look brave but looking more sorrowful. 

And I shall miss you to, Frodo my lad they gave each other a quick hug before Frodo hopped on the boat and it started to sail. Frodo was waving to them from the back of the boat. 

Goodbye Gandalf, Galadriel, Bil..... but he was already out of earshot. 

March 25 

The skies were gray on his journey to the Shire. Never once did he see the sun and it often rained. Even when the weather was at it's worst he never felt sad and would only be wondering how close he was getting to the Shire. Most of the time he would think of his old friends Sam, Pippin and Merry, and he also thought of his old house that Sam was now living in. 

Elanor! She would be around four now! Frodo suddenly burst out. Luckily he was in his cabin and no one heard him. His cabin mate (who's name was Olen) was up on deck. He was a rather jolly little fellow but i fear you won't be hearing much of him. 

Frodo went up on deck to watch the water. It was a pale purple-gray. He watched it lap up against the side of the boat. His mind then drifted back to the adventure he had four years ago. He remembered the party, the riders at the Ford, Gollum, the mountain, the swamps, the ring, the eye, the eagles, and everything else. Frodo honestly felt as though he might cry, so he decided to stop thinking of that and start thinking of dinner. It was after all getting late. 

March 30 

The boat pulled up along the bank and some men jumped out to tie it off. Frodo had all his belongings in a small pack over his shoulder. He bid farewell to Olen who was sad to see him go, Then he got off the boat and onto the little dirt road. 

He was forced to stay with the boats men to help repair a small leak in the boat before he could set off for the Shire. 

It had taken a good four days to repair the boat but he was very glad once he got on his way. It took him a day of walking since the Boat got off coarse on the way, but it gave him a chance to look at the scenery and it was the he realized how much he had miss the Shire. 

April 4 

Frodo reached the Shire rather early that morning. He was a bit dirty and felt a little unrespectable, but he straitened his back and walked towards the door of his old house. Before knocking he looked around. Some of the houses had been burnt (more then some). He looked towards the old stone e wall. strange black things were crawling among the rocks. He knocked on the door after shaking his head abit. The door opened and to Frodo's surprise there was a small hobbit looking up at him. She had bright red hair and brilliant green eyes. 

Are you one of daddy's friends ? she asked. He gave her a warm smile. 

You could say that. Now go tell him to get the door Frodo answered. She gave a polite little bow, then ran off into the kitchen. Sam came to the door. He stopped at the threshold and jaw dropped open. Then he hugged Frodo very tightly around the neck. The sudden force knocked Frodo off balance. 

Sam, I didn't come here to be killed Frodo laughed when Sam loosened the grip on his neck. 

We thought you were dead to us already, Mr. Frodo Sam answered. Sam helped Frodo up and they went inside. They had alot of catching up to do and started on that right away. It turns out that Elanor had been told alot about Frodo and was very excited to meet him. Rose was also very pleased to see Frodo and decided to make a special dinner for the occasion. 

After a very large dinner Frodo went to bed never realizing the strange glow of pink eyes out side his window. He slept very peacefully but some thing not so peaceful was watching him.........to be continued.


	3. Shrell

It was midnight when Frodo awoke. The wind was blowing through the trees and there was a sort of uncomfortable feeling in the Shire.

Frodo got out of his bed and went out side. A fog hung in the air like a blanket of silence and the grass was beaded with dew. He

had always loved nights like this when he was younger but now something seemed to be wrong. He walked up to the tree that Sam had planted

long ago but Frodo didn't really look at it.He just sat down beside it and listened to the silence. Bilbo had once said that silence was

the most interesting sound and Frodo now understood. He stared out at the fog until he drifted off to sleep. This time he dreamed of nothing

and wasn't sure how long he slept but awoke to the feeling of something crawling up his leg. He looked down to see a black creature with

strange pink eyes looking up at him.He gave a small yelp and jumped up shaking the creature off him.

"They won't harm you. They feed off the flesh of dead things" Frodo turned around to see a cloaked figure in the tree. It's face was hidden

but it was a hobbit. He could tell by it's feet.

"Who are you?" Frodo was still shaking as he asked this.

"I am Shrell of the Northern Waste" the cloaked figure answered.

"...Northern Waste.." Frodo backed away. Shrell raised a hand.

"I shall not harm you. You needn't be afraid" Shrell closed her hand and brought it back under her cloak.

"What brings you to Bag End" Frodo asked.

"The Northern Waste is dangerous beyond thought and it has gotten worse. I had no reason to stay and I know Bag End quite well" she answered

with a nod.

"Oh" Frodo didn't really know what to say. He had heard of the Northern Waste but didn't think it was possible to survive there. He looked 

at Shrells cloak. It was torn and rather tattered. Shredded bits of her torn hood hung over her hidden face. She gave a small sigh, then,

began to speak:

"Do you...Do you know where the Tooks live?" She asked.

"Which Took?" Frodo knew many Tooks and they lived in different houses.

"Peregrin Took" she answered.

"Oh! That house over there!" Frodo pointed to one of the few houses that wasn't burnt."I would like to see him, too. I'll go with you" 

Frodo said cheerfully. 

The wind whipped through Shrell's torn cloak. Frodo shivered just watching. She gazed up at the stars.Frodo could now see her eyes. They

were a bright blue that sparked and reflected the stars.

"Let Pippin get some rest it's too early" she said turning back to Frodo."Actually, you should get some rest, too, Frodo" she told him.

"How did you--"

"I have my ways.Goodnight, Frodo" she nodded and left. Frodo went back to his warm bed after one last glance at the moon.He slept

without dreams and slept quite late....... to be continued.


	4. We'll follow you if you know the way

April 5

Frodo woke up wondering if he had been dreaming but when he got down stairs he realized that he hadn't been. Rose was talking to Sam about

the door being left open the night before and if they had been robbed.

"I assure you Miss Cotton--" He cleared his throat "Gamgee that you weren't robbed. I left the door open when I stepped outside for some

fresh air last night" Frodo told her.

"Good morning Frodo!" Elanor squeaked. She was very glad to see he was up.

"Good morning Elanor" He answered. "How are you?"

"Fine Mr. Frodo, sir" she said happily then returned to her breakfast. Frodo sat down and had breakfast, too. After a long breakfast Frodo

told Sam that he was going to see Merry and Pippin and he'd be back in awhile. Then he ran out the door shut it behind him and started off to

Pippin's house. On the way there Frodo looked over at the tree. Shrell was sitting be side it playing a wooden flute.He watched her for 

awhile before she stopped to look over at him.

"If you're going to Pippin's then I'm coming with you" she said standing up.

"Alright" Frodo said cheerfully. They came to Pippin's house quite quickly and Frodo knocked. They waited for awhile then the door opened.

It was Pippin.He stood there speechless then managed to stutter:

"Frodo? Shcoligrafa?" He then began to sob and gave them each a rather suffocating hug.

"Cheer up, Pip. You're acting as if we just died" Shell said patting him on the shoulder.

"I thought both of you were dead! With Frodo getting on that weird ship and you returning to the Waste!" He sobbed on Frodo's shoulder

for awhile.

"Thought getting on that ship would be like dying, too. I didn't know I could come back" Frodo told Pippin as he kept sobbing.

"Oh! Merry is over! I should tell him!" Pippin ran into his house and came back with Merry. There was the same kind of reaction with 

Merry as there was with Pippin only he didn't know Shrell and he didn't sob as much.

Pippin invited them inside and they played a hobbit card game called "seven seventy-eight's" (which was alot like poker) and talked 

about what they had been doing since Frodo left. Shrell kept quite while they talked but she was winning the card game so all was well 

for her.

"Two seven's. I win again." Shrell said puffing up a bit while Merry glared at her.

"Come on, Shrell, go easy on us" Pippin chuckled.

"You'll have enough hazel nuts to last you a life time if you keep winning like this" Merry said folding his arms on the table.

"I'll give you back your hazel nuts. I can't cook, anyway" Shrell said taking the four hazel nuts she had just won.

"You can sure gamble, though! Hey! Why don't you give the hazel nuts to Rose! She's a great cook!" Pippin said cheerfully and in

a rather proud way.

"Alright" Shrell answered.

Just then there came a knock on the door. Pippin got up quickly to answer it.There was a tall man with long dark hair standing outside

the door.He was wearing a long red robe and he had a staff with him.

"Is Frodo Baggins here?" he asked in a deep voice.

"Ye-ye-yes. Come in" Pippin backed away from the door forgetting that he was too big for a hobbit hole.

"Send him out here" answered the man.

Pippin ran back and grabbed Frodo by the arm and dragged him up the hall.

"There's some one here to see you, Frodo" Pippin told him once they came to the door. Frodo stepped outside and shut the door behind him.

He walked over to the man with a confused look on his face.

"Yes?" Frodo asked.

"I am Myrth the Red and I bring news for you, Frodo" he answered.

"How did you--" Frodo started.

"I have my ways" he answered.This left Frodo very confused. How did everyone know his name. He was sure any news of the ring being

destroyed long ago wouldn't have reached the Northern Waste but Shrell had known his name and now this strange man that he had heard nothing

of.

"Oh..." Frodo looked down at the ground.

"Thing stir to the east as we stand here. I will give what I know. Find me when you decide:"

A ring of power,

A ring of pain,

Thought destroyed but does remain,

There it lies in fire and flame,

We'll follow you if you know the way.

With that he turned and walked away. Frodo was left standing there stunned. After running the rhyme over in his mind he stepped inside

Pippin's hobbit hole.

"What does this sound like to you?" Frodo asked as he walked back into the room where everyone was. He recited the verses to them and 

then stood looking at them in silence. They were left speechless and shocked and just stared back at Frodo them Pippin spoke:

"and I shall follow you if you know the way!" He declared standing up.

"As will I!" Merry stood up, too.

"Then, I shall as well, Master Frodo" Shrell stood up with a nod. 

"Then, let us tell Sam" Frodo said more grim then the rest of them.

Sam decided to come,too, though he didn't want to leave Elanor and Rose.They all had dinner at Sam's and planned to find Myrth in the 

morning.It was a very grim night for everyone. If the ring wasn't destroyed then neither was Sauron. No slept well. Shrell didn't sleep at

all but one thing kept turning in all their minds

A ring of power,

A ring of pain,

Thought destroyed but does remain,

There it lies in fire and flame,

We'll follow you if you know the way....

We'll Follow you if you know the way..........to be continued.


	5. Farewells

 April 6
    
    Frodo woke up feeling awful. He wished that he had stayed with Gandalf and Bilbo and....*knock* 
    
     "Come in" Frodo said quietly. Shrell peaked through the door.
    
     "Are you alright?" she asked.Then walked over and stood beside his bed.
    
     "I'm afraid...I was lucky to survive last time but now I don't even--" he looked down at the floor. "Last time I felt brave now I feel
    
    weak and afraid" He said not looking up at her.
    
     "Don't ever lose hope, Master Frodo. That's what kept me going when all seemed lost" She patted him on the head. "Oh! You better get some-
    
    thing to eat. We'll be leaving to find Myrth soon!" She smiled cheerfully.
    
     "How did you know his name was--"
    
     "I have my ways!" and with that she left the room shutting the door behind her. Frodo put his head in his hands:
    
     "Everyone has 'they're ways' but me" 
    
    Later that day around noon they were all out searching for Myrth.They all splint up and went looking in different directions.Frodo was 
    
    thinking of the ring, so, it was surprising when Myrth stepped out in front of him.Frodo jumped back.
    
     "Have you decided?" Myrth questioned.
    
     "I have and my answer is that I will be going to see what I can do about the ring" Frodo nodded as he spoke.
    
     "Then, I shall follow you if you know the way" Myrth bowed his head.
    
     "Actually, about that--" Frodo started but was cut off by Sam.
    
     "Oh! You found him!" he came and stood next to Frodo and introduced himself.Frodo was very glad Sam had shown up because he wasn't looking
    
    forward to tell Myrth he had forgotten the way.
    
     "Pippin, Merry, Shrell we found him!" he yelled. First, Shrell came running up and stopped right behind Frodo nearly knocking him over.
    
    Then, Pippin came running to and stopped just behind Shrell. Then, Merry but he didn't stop and they all fell over like dominoes. Sam 
    
    and Myrth chuckled and Pippin even laughed a bit.
    
     "I know it's funny but please get off" moaned Frodo. They had a bit of trouble doing this but when they were all up off the ground they
    
    dusted themselves off and acted as if nothing had happened.
    
     "So, we'll depart at dusk?" asked a smiles Pippin.
    
     "That sounds good to me" answered Myrth "spend the rest of the day saying your farewell" he suggested then left.
    
     Later on there was a huge party and everyone there was very upset about Frodo leaving. After all he had just returned and now he was taking
    
    Sam, Pippin, and Merry with him on an adventure. Frodo was looking for Shrell and after a rather long search in the the crowds of hobbits
    
    he found her outside playing he wooden flute.She was sitting up in a tree on one of it's branches.She stopped in the middle of her song and
    
    looked down at him.
    
     "Are you alright?" he asked then went and stood by the tree. Shrell put her flute inside her cloak and answered:
    
     "I'm just nervous...." she sighed and then frowned.
    
     "You should come inside. You'll have plenty of time to be outside after we depart" Frodo said. Shrell jumped off the branch and landed
    
    right in front of him.
    
     "If you say so, Master Frodo" she said then walked towards the door of the hobbit hole. Frodo was left wondering how she came up with
    
    calling him "Master Frodo." Sam used to call him that. Frodo smiled to himself. Maybe it wouldn't be that bad leaving the Shire.He went 
    
    inside, too. After dinner they all said they're farewells. Pippin was crying quite hard but not as much as Rose and Elanor. Shrell and Myrth
    
    were the only one that remained calm. Frodo even cried a little. It was truly an sad time for everyone walking down the dirt path leaving
    
    the Shire behind......to be continued.


	6. The journey begins

Each of them now had a pony and Myrth had a tall black horse. They stopped once they reached a fork in the road. A small dirt path was stretched out in front of them. The shadows of trees were cast across it in the moon light. Myrth came riding out in front of them:

"You now have a choice! This is your last chance to return to the Shire! Turn back now or continue on!" 

There was a moment of silence then they all galloped off in the moon light. The stars shone bright above them and the wind blew through their hair and it seemed to

Frodo that he now had a reason to find the ring.

"Could we sing something?" asked Pippin.

"How 'bout that old song Bilbo used to sing?" suggested Frodo. He began to sing and everyone joined in besides Myrth. Frodo didn't know where Shrell had learned the song

but she seemed to know it quite well:

The road goes ever on and on

Down from the door where it began.

Now far ahead the road has gone,

And I must follow, if I can,

Pursuing with eager feet,

Until it joins some larger way.

Where many paths and errands meet.

And wither then? I cannot say.

They sang many other cheerful song long into the night but when the glow of pink eyes shone through the trees it was hard to keep a tune going. So, they talked for awhile

but soon fell into silence and silence that seemed to go on forever until it was broken by Pippin:

"I'm getting very tired. Couldn't we rest?" 

Myrth nodded and called a halt. They found a large tree to sleep near and set up their "beds" which more like cots. They all fell asleep to a peaceful tune Shrell played on her

flute but after everyone else was asleep Shrell set up her cot an was asleep as soon as she lay down.

April 6

"Get up, Shrell" Frodo said as he shook her. She glared out from under her blanket with a look of loathing in her eyes. Frodo backed away. "You're almost as bad as Pippin!

Now help me get him up" Frodo laughed. Shrell got up unhappily and went over and shook Pippin.

"Happy Birthday, Pip!" she said as happily and as loud as she could. Frodo stared at her confused. Pippin's birthday wasn't in April. Pippin shot straight up knowing that birthdays

meant cake. Then, he looked around.

"Shrell!" he groaned and fell back down on his pillow. Shrell smiled at him.

"Get up, anyway. It's a beautiful morning" She told him. Pippin rolled over.

"What's beautiful about it?" He curled up in a little ball.

"You get Pippin up, Frodo. I'll wake Merry and Sam" Shrell stretch and walked over to them.

"Not Fair!" Frodo complained.

"But life isn't always fair, Master Frodo" Shrell said shaking a finger. Myrth,who had been leaning against the tree blowing smoke rings with his pipe chuckled when he saw 

this.

After Sam made breakfast and Pippin finally got up they set out once again. Shrell had her hood down and now her dark blonde hair was visible.

"Honestly, Shrell, never do that again! I was really excited about it being my birthday when you said that! It wasn't funny!" Pippin said as that rode their ponies down the dirt

path. Shrell laughed happily.

"Sam, that was a wonderful breakfast! One of the best" Shrell said riding up next to Sam. Pippin glared at her . He had slept through breakfast.

"Thanks!" Sam said.

"Oh, don't worry, Pip. I saved you some" She rode over beside Pippin and handed him a small corn cake.

"A wonderful breakfast? Did you plan this?" Pippin asked.

"Yup!" answered Sam.

"Never sleep late again!" Shrell yelled over her shoulder and rode up ahead.

"Hobbits" Myrth chuckled to himself. 

The rest of the day was spent talking and singing as they rode. They also traveled long into the night. The dark dripping creatures never taking there pink eyes off the small 

group. Sometimes one would cross the path and look up at them making a horrible hissing noise. Pippin and Merry were the least fond of the creatures and wanted to stop.

Myrth always pushed them on farther until their ponies couldn't take another step.

This went on for days days and everyone was getting more tired everyday.

April 11

Around 10:30 that night they reached the edge of the Misty Mountains. They all gazed up at them in awe. Myrth got off his horse and started setting up his cot. Pippin was 

incredibly happy to know they were stopping that early. The rest of them set up their cots and were asleep in an instant........to be continued


	7. A change of course

April 12

Frodo awoke to being shaken. He opened his eyes to see a worried Sam looking down at him.

"What?" Frodo asked noticing it was still dark.

"Ogres! They're attacking!" Sam yelled. Merry and Pippin jumped up. Shrell was already awake. Frodo was up in no time.

"Frodo, catch!" Shrell threw him a small sword. Frodo caught it. Myrth was chanting strange spells that seemed very effective against the ogres. Frodo fought them off the best

he could but he was out numbered and was soon surrounded. A huge ogre came and stood over him. The ogre raised his club. Frodo shut his eyes tightly. The ogre was about

to bring the club down on Frodo's head when he let out a horrible cry of pain. Frodo opened his eyes to see the ogre fall dead to the ground and Shrell standing behind it.

"Are you alright, Frodo?"

"Yeah, I'm--- WATCH OUT!" he pulled Shrell out of the way of a swinging club just before her head would have been crushed. He noticed how wide her eyes were and how

hard she was breathing

"That was close" she said still rather shocked. "Thanks, Frodo."

The battle seemed to last forever but just when Frodo thought he couldn't swing his sword again the ogres retreated. Frodo was wondering why they left when he heard Myrth 

speak:

"If you can hear me com towards the light" for a moment it was dark then there was a small glow. Frodo went towards it and when he got there the only other two that

seemed to have come were Sam and Pippin.

"Where's Merry and Shrell?" asked Sam.

"Oh, I do hope they're alright" Pippin said looking up at Myrth.

"Quickly! We have no time to waste!" Myrth held the light up to see Shrell staggering up to them. She had a huge gouge in her arm and had been smashed in the side of the

head with one of the ogres' clubs.

"Shrell! I'll get something to fix that wound up!" Pippin said.

"Never you mind that, Pippin. The ogres have Merry" she told them as she walked up to Myrth. "Pack up your things. I'll ride on ahead and see what I can do" she went to

grab her pony.

"Shrell, you're in no condition--" Sam started.

"I'm fine but we must hurry or we'll never find the ogres" she answered.

"If you insist on going then you shall, but not alone. I'll go with you" Frodo walked up beside her and she nodded.

"Follow behind once you have gathered your things!" Shrell yelled over her shoulder as she galloped away with Frodo right behind her.

"Shrell, are you sure they've gone this way!" Frodo yelled.

"No!" she answered. This wasn't comforting but he trusted Shrell. "Some of the branched have been cracked that laid across the path!" Shrell yelled back to him. 

"Will, this set us far off course?" Frodo asked riding up beside Shrell.

"Yes, because....." Shrell stopped. "Frodo?" she asked somewhat mysteriously.

"Uh, yes?"

"We agreed to follow you if you knew the way" she raised an eyes brow.

"Uh...." Frodo felt chills running up his back and he felt pretty guilty. Shrell let out a long sigh then began to laugh.

"What?" Frodo asked.

"It's an adventure. We don't have to know the way" and with that she took off at an incredible speed. Frodo sighed and chased after her.........to be continued.


	8. Thin ice

Shrell and Frodo rode long into the night until they're ponies could go no further. The wind was cold and the night air was heavy. Shrell decided they should let they're 

ponies rest. Frodo felt suddenly uncomfortable like something was watching him.

"Frodo?" Shrell asked.

"Hmm?" answered Frodo (who had been sitting on the ground) looked up at her.

"Coming with me meant that you wouldn't get much rest. Does this suit you?"

"Yes. How long do we have?"

"An hour at most"

Frodo dozed for awhile but found it hard to sleep. The strange pink-eyed creatures were watching him, again, but it wasn't them that made him feel so uncomfortable. Shrell

was playing a rather sad song on her flute. She seemed so far away. Frodo watched her for awhile then spoke:

"How did you know Pippin, Shrell?" he asked.

"I met him when my mother took me to the Shire" she answered. "It was a very long time ago" she looked down.

"Why did you leave the Waste?" he asked.

"Would you have liked to live there?" she asked.

"If you didn't, then, why did you return to it?" Frodo now found himself very interested.

"We left because my father died. We returned about the time that Bilbo left. I don't know why. When we were back in the Waste my mother died. I was twelve. I'm sorry 

I lied to you, Frodo" she didn't look up at him only stared at the ground.

"No, I'm sorry, Shrell" Frodo hung his head.

"Don't be. I hardly remember it. Memories can be blown away in sand-storms when you're in the Waste. Are you hungry, Frodo?" she looked back up smiling.

"Uh, I guess so" Frodo was surprised at the sudden change of subject but was also quite glad. He also realized just how hungry he had been. Suddenly something popped into

his mind. How did Shrell know of Bilbo? He didn't bother to ask. He already knew what her answer would be. He was in the middle of a thought when he fell deep into sleep.

"Sorry to wake you, Master Frodo, but we must be on our way" Shrell was shaking him.

"Oh, alright" he said as he got up trying to sound as cheerful as possible. Shrell had already packed up they're things so they were off in no time. Shrell seemed rather cheerful

and talked a bit:

"Up in the Misty Mountains there is always snow. Even some of the small ponds up there are frozen over. Well, with thin ice anyhow" she said.

"Will we be crossing them?" asked Frodo.

"That's for you to decide" she answered. 

"Well, I guess we'll have to if we want to find the ring" he said. At that moment Shrell stopped her pony and Frodo stopped beside her. There was a red glow through the trees.

The sound of deep voices could be heard singing:

We'll put it over fires for it to be roasted!

We'll watch it cook ''til it's lightly toasted!

It's poor little mind full of dreadful surprises,

but it'll be gone before the sun rises!

Shrell dismounted and pulled out a dagger. Frodo followed her. As they came close to the light they saw lots of ogres dancing around a fire and poor little Merry tied to a tree. He

look terrified. Shrell threw her dagger and hit one of the ogres in the back. The singing stopped as it fell to the ground. 

"Attack" Shrell whispered to Frodo. He nodded and the ran towards the fire. 

The battle was a long one. Twice Frodo was nearly killed and every time he tried to get to Merry an ogre would always get in the way. Shrell wasn't having any better luck. By

the time the last ogre fell they felt as though they might fall with it. Shrell fell to her knees.

"They escaped with Merry!" she said feeling very tired.

"We mustn't let them eat him" Frodo walked over to her and offered her a hand. She took it and pulled herself up.

"Thanks" she said then went and got the ponies.

They seemed to ride on forever as far as Frodo could tell but he soon lost track of time itself and drifted off to sleep.

Frodo awoke feeling rather stiff. He looked around to find he had been sleeping in an odd position. Shrell was fast asleep. Then, he noticed the frost the snow that covered the 

ground and remembered what Shrell said about the Misty Mountains ( it was then when Frodo wished he had a map). Shrell began to stir, then, sat up and looked around.

"No wonder it was cold last night" she yawned as she said this.

"We must be leaving right away" Frodo said as he got up.

"Okay" answered Shrell.

They mounted they're ponies and set out as fast as they could in the snow. They had a conversation about the snow and how upsetting it was in spring but soon fell silent.

The mountains seemed to go on forever and sometime Frodo wanted to ask Shrell if they could rest but he always thought of poor Merry and never ended up asking. Little

did he know Shrell was thinking the same sorts of things.

They traveled on like that for days until something more surprising and horrible happened.

April 17

They were following the same snowy path when they heard the cries of a battle. As they drew nearer they saw a battle was taking place. There were ogres and hobgoblins 

fighting. The ogres were out numbered and many were dead but Shrell and Frodo weren't happy, only fearful for the sake of Merry. 

They tied up their ponies knowing that hobgoblins ate ponies and scouted around the battle field for Merry (always keeping out of site). Shrell was at a different edge of the 

battle field when the battle ended but a cry Frodo sent a chill up her spine. He came running down beside her and told her to run. They were now being chased by hobgoblins.

A sudden drop lay ahead of them as they ran but they couldn't see it. So, when they came to it they fell over the edge and ended up rolling down. Then, slid onto the surface of

an icy lake. The hobgoblins came down and stopped at the edge of it.

Now, if you have studied hobgoblins you'd know that that are quite capable of magic, spells, and such thing that wizards are. So, you'd under stand that Frodo and Shrell were

in a dangerous position.

A rather old hobgoblin stepped out of the crowd of them. He muttered some sort of spell sending huge cracks through the ice. Then, the hobgoblins turned and left.

The cracks that had been sent through the ice left Frodo trapped on one tipsy block of ice. He wasn't balanced and slid off it into the water. Then, the ice block turned over 

leaving him stuck under water. He was suffocating. Everything seemed to go dark and he thought he heard the ice crack somewhere to his right. Then, he felt an arm around his

waist. The next thing he knew he could breathe again. He felt himself being pulled up onto the ice. His eyes slowly fluttered open. His head was resting on Shrell's leg. Shrell 

stroked a wet hair off his face.

"Are you alright?" she said in almost a whisper. All he could do was nod. "Just rest" she told him. He shut his eyes and wasn't sure how much time had passed when he heard

a little voice from the edge of the lake:

"If I were you I wouldn't be out swimming!" it yelled cheerfully.

"Merry!" Shrell yelled back. At this Frodo sat up and waved. Merry went sliding across the ice trying as best he could to avoid the cracks and helped them get back to land.

They all sat under a rather big tree and had lunch while discussing what to do next......to be continued.


	9. Esgaroth

"What happened to the others?" asked Merry.

"We went on ahead. I don't know how they'll find us" answered Frodo.

"They will. Knowing Myrth" Shrell said from a branch in a tree she had been sitting in.

"And just how well do you know Myrth?" asked Merry.

"Well enough" she answered. 

"We should keep going, though. Even if it is snowy" Frodo changed the subject.

"Why does it have to be snowing in spring?!" Merry was very fond of spring and didn't like spending it in the snow.

"If only we weren't so far north. Then, we would only have to cross these mountains in a light fog" Frodo mused.

"It's too late for that..." Shrell muttered from her tree.

"Oh well, let's get going" Frodo got up and mounted his pony and rode off. Shrell and Merry were close behind.

"It's too bad I don't have my pony anymore. Sorry if I'm squishing you, Shrell" said Merry as they slowly walked down the snowy path.

"I'm fine, Merry." They had to share a pony and it wasn't going at a very fast pace with all the bags tied to it not the mention Merry and Shrell. It was a good 2-days march from there over the mountains

and not much happened but being cold, tired, and worried. So, I shall not tell you of it anymore.

April 19

They had now crossed the mountains and were wondering what to do next and figure out exactly where they were. There were mountains to the north and west and a river was running eastward.

"I think those are the Gray Mountains. Otherwise known as Erid Mithrin" said Shrell as she pointed north.

"Then, that forest is Mirkwood?" asked Frodo.

"Yes" answered Shrell.

"Oh! This must be the Forest River, then!" said a cheerful Merry. They all looked at the river that was flowing eastward and Frodo nodded. They were all still looking at the river when they heard a call

from behind them. They all spun around to see Sam, Pippin, and Myrth riding towards them with an extra pony. Merry quickly ran up to meet them with Frodo and Shrell at his heels.

"Why didn't you follow us?" asked Frodo.

"We knew we would never find you. This was the easiest way" said Myrth.

"How did you know they were going to cross the mountains?" Merry asked.

"I have my ways" answered Myrth.

"We met a man further back who said we would find some boats along that river" Pippin said as he pointed to it.

"Oh! Then, let's hurry!" Frodo said and they set out at once, Merry now had his own pony. Further down the river they found two boats and took the one in best shape. Then, they tied the ponies to it, so 

they could walk along the bank and, then, they got in the boat. The river had a pretty strong current and they didn't have to paddle at all. They had three ponies on one side of the river and two ponies and

Myrth's horse on the other so the boat wouldn't get out of control. 

"So, Shrell, Pippin said your real name was Shcoligrafa. Is this true?" asked Sam, trying to make some kind of conversation.

"Yes, but too many have had a hard time pronouncing it. Call me Shrell" she answered. Not much more was ever said about Shrell's name. Instead, they talked about what happened when they were parted.

Frodo told most of the story and Merry told his separately. 

They traveled through Mirkwood by boat only stopping to stretch their legs feed or rest the ponies or something along that line. It took about seven days to travel through Mirkwood.

April 25

The River had now opened up into a lake. They had a lot of trouble getting the ponies onto one side of the boat but in the end got safely to shore. It was rather late at night and they all felt a little tired.

They now noticed the town that was on the lake and not far away. 

" That there is Esgaroth" said Myrth.

"Bilbo told me of Esgaroth!" exclaimed Frodo.

"Yes, we all know quite well about it" replied Myrth.

"Well, it doesn't look like it was destroyed!" said a very happy Pippin.

Suddenly, there was a splash and everyone fell silent. They looked from one another.

"What was that?" asked Sam.

"Oh no! where's Shrell?" Pippin looked very disappointed.

"Shrell can swim" answered a very calm Myrth.

"Why would she want to?" Merry asked as he knelt to touch the cold water with his fingers. He stood back up with the rest of them and waited.

"She should be up by now!" said a frustrated and distressed Pippin. They still waited until Shrell finally came up sputtering and gasping. She swam to shore breathing rather hard. 

"I guess I must have slipped" she told them and they all began talking at once, besides Myrth. "Why don't we see if we can get a room in that nice little town?" she said smiling. They nodded and slowly

walked towards the town, wondering how Shrell could have possibly slipped. It seemed impossible to slip on a sandy shore and not come up for three minutes.

They soon came to an inn that welcomed them in and was quite polite. They got a room and quickly went up to it after having dinner. They had been sitting there for awhile when Sam suddenly asked:

"How could you slip? It was practically impossible." Shrell, who was sitting by a fire place turned and looked at him.

"I meant to" she was grinning as she said this. Then, she pulled out of her cloak a chain of diamonds that looked like they had been worn like a waistcoat. Frodo, Sam, Pippin, and Merry stood there

stunned. "If any of you want to see the rotting corps of a dragon we can all go swimming tomorrow." she seemed very cheerful.

They talked a bit about dragons, gold, and dwarves, but soon fell asleep (Shrell fell asleep on the floor)..............to be continued.


	10. Gollum

April 26

Frodo was up early that morning. He woke the rest of the hobbits and went down stairs. There was a very small amount of guest but of the few there were most seemed strange. There were two cloaked

people at one of the tables in the corner and Myrth was talking to a tall and intimidating man. Myrth called them over. They came but rather carefully.

"This is Sauranoxs the Black. He has agreed to help us on our quest" Myrth told them. They introduced themselves but the man paid little heed. He seemed to look deep inside you and judge you without getting to know you. Frodo could tell how uncomfortable the other hobbits were: They would shuffle their feet and look at the ground (trying not to make eye contact with the strange wizard).

"I believe you have some friends here, hobbits" Sauranoxs said in a cold voice. 

"Who?" asked Sam as bravely as he could.

"You will find that for yourselves" the strange wizard turned and left the small inn. The hobbits exchanged glances, then, decided that breakfast would be nice.

The day rolled on. It was one of the most amusing yet distressing days Frodo could remember. They were low on money and ended up helping the bar. Merry wasn't good at mixing drinks at all, Pippin didn't have any experience washing dishes, Sam wasn't good at entertaining for long, and Shrell was horrible at serving people drinks and had considered giving up the diamond waistcoat but reconsidered. Frodo had been stuck with cleaning off the tables but soon the guest wanted to hear a song and he was stuck singing while Shrell whistled a merry tune on her flute. It was a rather long song but if you remember Frodo's other adventure than you should remember this song.

There is an inn, a merry old inn

beneath an old gray hill,

and there they brew a beer so brown

that the man in the moon himself came down

one night to drink his fill.

The ostler has a tipsy cat 

that plays a five-stringed fiddle;

and up and down he runs his bow,

now squeaking high, now purring low,

now sawing in the middle.

The land lord has a little dog

that is mighty fond of jokes;

When there's a good cheer among the guest,

he cocks an ear at all the jests

and laughs until he chokes.

They also keep a horned cow

as proud as any queen;

but music turns her head like ale,

and makes her wave her tufted tail

and dance upon the green.

And O! the rows of silver dishes

and the store of silver spoons!

For Sunday there's a special pair,

and these they polish up with care 

on Saturday afternoons.

The man in the moon was drinking deep,

and the cat began to wail;

A dish and a spoon on the table danced,

The cow in the garden madly pranced,

and the little dog chased his tail.

The man in the moon took another mug,

and rolled beneath his chair;

And there he dozed and dreamed of ale,

Till in the sky the stars were pale,

and dawn was in the air.

The cat an the fiddle played hey-diddle-diddle

a tune that would waken the dead.

He squeaked and sawed and quickened the tune, 

while the land lord shook the man in the moon:

"It's after three" he said.

With a ping and a pong the fiddle strings broke.

The cow jumped over the moon,

The little dog laughed to see such fun, 

And the Saturday dish went off on the run with the silver Sunday spoon!!

The guests clapped and cheered while Frodo and Shrell gasped for air. Then, took a rather low bow and hastily went to get back to their jobs when the taller of the cloaked figures in the corner beckoned them over.

"You're lucky you didn't make the same mistake as last time" he said. Frodo stepped back. 

"Wha- what are you talking about?" Frodo stuttered.

"You know what I'm talking about, Mr. Underhill" said he as he raised his head so his face was visible. It was Strider! Frodo gasped and Shrell cleared her throat:

"Could someone tell me what's going on?" she asked in an annoyed but patient way. Strider explained everything and told her to only call him Strider, never Aragorn (he didn't want any one to know he was a king). The other cloaked figure turned out to be Arwen. 

After a long discussion and a bit of trouble with Pippin (who had found a bottle of ale near the wash basin) they decided to play a small game of cards in one of the back rooms. They bet what they had earned during that day and what other things they had with them. Sam was winning this time but Shrell wasn't far behind.After a few rounds she decided to go back to her room and wished everyone pleasant dreams. They wished her the same then got back to the game. Frodo was just taking a walnut and a few coins when there was a blood curdling scream for the upstairs. Frodo felt chills crawl up his spine and his stomach turn.

"Shrell" he whispered under his breath and ran up the back stairs the others at his heels. He ran through the halls and swung open the door as soon as he got to it.The room was dark but he could just make out the figure of Shrell laying face-down on the wooden floor. Frodo stepped shakily into the room. He was about to kneel by Shrell when there was another scream and he felt cold fingers wrap around his neck. He fell over with the sudden force of the creature but it's fingers didn't loosen. He stared up at it to see only a pair of pale, yellow, glowing eyes. Frodo heard a sudden crash and the fingers of the creature loosen and the voice of Sam (though he couldn't make out what Sam was saying). The next thing he knew the lights flickered on. Sam had a strange creature pinned to the ground.

"Letss uss go! LETSS US GO!" it hissed. "We wants the Bagginses-s-s-s-s" the creature squirmed and hissed while Frodo was filled with dread.

"How...?" Frodo could barely talk.

"It thoughts we was dead, didn't it, preciousss?" it hissed "But we aren't, are we, precious, no!" Frodo's blood ran cold. How could Gollum have survived? He was burned, scarred, and as black as coal but alive. At that moment there was a noise next to Frodo. Shrell was beginning to stir. She sat up and blinked.

"Ouch" she murmured under her breath and then looked over at Gollum suddenly speechless. Gollum, not wanting to be held down any longer reached for Sam's neck but Shrell was up in an instant holding a dagger to the creatures neck.

"Hear me, creature" said she "Lay a hand on any of them and I will..slit...your ....throat." She hung on the last words in the most threatening way as Gollum back against the wall (knocking Sam to the floor).

"We means no harm, precious, no" Gollum whined and hissed.

"No harm, indeed" Shrell slipped her dagger into her belt and offered a hand to help him up (considering he had shrunk into a little ball in the corner when he had been approached with the dagger). He took it and stood over her with his pale eyes looking down at her.

"What would we call this hobbitses, precious?" he asked.

"Shcoligrafa" Shrell answered. "And what would I call you?"

"It shall call us Smeagol, precious" he answered. Shrell nodded.

"Well, Smeagol, let's not go choking people, then. Will we have a truce?" she asked.

"Should we? Yes, precious, yes we shall but...." He stopped and glared at Frodo. "Not if the nasty hobbit tries to steal the precious!!" he hissed and growled.

"No one is going to steal anything. Now, why don't you go down with Pippin and get something to eat?" Shrell put in and Gollum quickly headed downstairs. Shrell was about to leave, too but Frodo grabbed her arm.

"He's going to kill us all! We can't trust him!" Frodo shouted.

"Frodo, I know he is dangerous but I think we should give him a chance" Shrell answered.

"Sam and I have already done that! He did this to me over that ring!" Frodo's grip tightened on her arm as he showed her his missing finger.

"Over the ring?" Shrell asked. Frodo loosened her arm and began to tell the story. After he finished he waited for Shrell to speak.

"I see. This is all the more reason we must trust him or pretend to. He may know where the ring is" said Shrell "I am sorry about your finger" She turned and was about to leave when Frodo caught her arm again.

"Listen, I want you to be careful. He isn't worth trusting but if you must please watch your back closely" Frodo told her.

"I shall watch mine if you watch yours" she answered with a nod. Frodo smiled. "Now, let's see where Sam, Merry, Pippin, and Smeagol went" she added cheerfully and headed for the stairs.......To be continued


	11. Toad Stools, Under-Dwellers, and the Rin...

Merry, Pippin, Frodo,and Sam sat at the table again playing cards and talking about the high prices of the inn. Shrell and Smeagol were in the corner discussing something else. Aragorn and Arwen were with Myrth and Sauranox planning what they would do next. Not much more happened that day and that was quite a good thing for all the sleepy hobbits. 

As the days rolled on they all became more and more tired of the inn. The most interesting thing was when the hobbits had to cut onions for a soup and spent the whole morning weeping. Soon after this they figured it was best to leave the inn and continue their journey.

April 30

They were leaving the town with many a goodbye but were glad to be on their way.Smeagol rode with Merry (who was not at all pleased) and Sauranox took the lead Strider and Arwen not far behind. Shrell was in the back of the party deep in thought. She hadn't talked all day and not much the night before.Pippin on the other hand was as cheerful as ever. He was much pleased with the lovely scenery and was talking and singing until Sauranox shot him a glare and Pippin was silent.

They were following the River Running to the south.The sound of the water running over the rocks was so peaceful. It made Frodo feel as though he was back in the Shire with all the other hobbits. 

"Where is our course set for?" asked Merry.

"Mordor" answered Myrth. 

"No! Notss there, precious, No! We musstn't!" hissed Smeagol as he squirmed on the pony.

"No harm shall come to you, creature" Sauranox exclaimed and Smeagol fell silent after whining an awful lot. As the day went on the River Running turned towards the east and they soon had to cross so they could keep on course. By the time they did get across they were soaking wet and very tired. Myrth called a halt even though Sauranox disagreed. They rested by the river and Sam made lunch.

"Could some of you get me some mushrooms?" he asked. Merry and Pippin were off in an instant and Frodo and Shrell were off not long after them. They ventured into a small part of the forest and began searching. They mostly found moss and an occasional black squirrel that would run away at to speed as soon as it caught sight of them. After a bit of searching Pippin called out:

"I found some!" the others came running and stopped beside a small patch of moss were there was a ring of purple toad stools.

"Pippin, those are poisonous" Merry said in the most disappointed way. They drew closer to the toad stools and looked them over.

"Stand back!" came a voice from behind them. It was Arwen. 

"They're only toad--" Pippin started but at that moment a pair of strange black hands came out from the middle of the circle and grabbed Pippin by both arms.The moss in the circle swirled and disappeared. Pippin struggles as the dark arms tried to pull him into the now dark portal. The other hobbits grabbed him and tried to pull him free best they could but it was no use. Out of the portal a strange pair of eyes then a face emerged. It was dark like the hands and it's eyes were a green color. It's ears were long and forked at the ends and it's teeth were long and sharp. It gave a screech and pulled harder on Pippin. Arwen pulled a dagger from her belt and hurled it towards the circle. The dagger pierced one of the toad stools. The creature gave a cry of pain and slowly disappeared into the portal. The ground reappeared to soon and it's hand was left sticking out of the moss. The toad stools withered and almost disappeared and the hand gave a final twitch. Merry and Pippin were flung backwards with the sudden release of the creatures hands and Shrell and Frodo fell to the ground.

"Ouch..." Merry murmured. Pippin and himself had gotten knocked into a tree.

"......." Pippin was speechless and very frightened. Merry helped him up and they slowly walked towards the circle.Frodo and Shrell got up off the ground and looked Arwen. She retrieved her dagger and looked back at Frodo and Shrell.

"What was that?" asked Shrell.

"An Under-Dweller, as we call them. They live in the pits of doom and can only enter our world through these portals. They hunt the flesh of living creatures that come to close to the portals and it is said once they devour you your soul becomes an Under-Dweller and seeks the flesh of living things" she answered. Pippin shuttered.

"Where did you learn of such creatures?" Merry asked.

"Folk Lore and Myths. Not many portals still exist. Hardly would you find such a creature but I think you better find mushrooms for Sam." She turned and walked away leaving the hobbits to find the mushrooms.

After a bit of searching they found two yellow mushrooms and seven white ones. They returned to Sam as quick as possible and gave him the mushrooms. Pippin told the story of the toad stools and let Merry fill in what he missed. By the end of the story Sam was done with a rather queer soup. Despite it's odd color and disturbing texture it was quite good and very filling. Sam was pleased with how much everyone liked his soup (besides Smeagol but Sam paid little heed to him).

"Nasssty hobbitses make nasty things" he hissed and spat.

"No need to be rude. There is probable a good amount of fish in the river" Shrell said handing her bowl back to Sam. Smeagol got up muttering and sat beside the river waiting for a big fish to swim by or at least a small one.

"He has the ring" Shrell said softly to Frodo.

"What? How do you know?" Frodo asked.

"He described it as though the ring kept him alive yet used him to survive. Perhaps the ring was sucking the life out of him" Shrell answered.

"Maybe. I think it was something along that line" Frodo mused and looked up at the clear sky. There was a splash from the river and the hobbits turned to see Smeagol ripping open a dead fish.

"Pleasant little fellow" Sam muttered in a sarcastic way. Shrell signaled for them to be quiet and listened to what Smeagol was saying.

"We hates the precious, we do, but we can't getss away from it,no, we can'tss-s-s-s. We wantss it but it painsss us! Yes it painsss usss, Gollum, Gollum" he whimpered. Shrell stood up and walked over to Smeagol.

"Why don't you come with me?" she asked.

"Can we bring the fishessss?"

"Yes" 

They walked up the river for a bit and Frodo decided to follow. When he reached them they were in a small clearing.

"What pains you about the ring?" Shrell asked.

"We don't knows. We can't gets it off. Our flesh is melted to it, yes, precious" he said.

"You can't take it off?" she asked.

"No, We just fades and desapearesss and returnes but we can't control it and we can't takes it off!" He hissed. Shrell took out a knife and brought it down on Smeagol's finger. He hissed and shrieked and ran towards the river. Shrell use her knife to cut the ring loose from Smeagol's finger and when she did she help it up, enchanted by it. Frodo suddenly wanted the ring back. He grabbed a large stick from the ground and crept up behind her. He gave her a hard blow in the side of the head and she fell to the ground. Frodo took the ring from her hand.

"Forgot to watch your back" he laughed and was about to put the ring on when someone behind him grabbed him. 

"I think you forgot to watch your back" He said. It was Sauranox. He took the ring from Frodo and Frodo was himself again.

"I...what have I...?" he asked confused.

"I think you owe Shrell an apology" Sauranox told him then left. Frodo walked over to where Shrell was. He rolled her over so she was on her back. The side of her head was bleeding and Frodo felt very guilty. She began to flinch and then sat up rubbing her head.

"Sorry...." Frodo began.

"Huh? What?" Shrell said looking at him. "Oh! Frodo! Good morning!" she said cheerfully. This was surprising but he was glad she was alright.

"Do you you remember anything?" he asked.

"I had a dream that I was holding a ring then someone hit me on the side of the head" she answered.

"You weren't dreaming, Shrell" he told her and explained everything while they walked back down the river to the other hobbits. Smeagol was bandaging up his finger(or what was left of it) and was very upset when they returned but, after a bit of calming down, he understood why Shrell cut it off. It was decided that Frodo would once again carry the ring.....To be continued.


	12. Og, son of Bolg

They continued south. The River Running was now out of sight and the forest that had been beside them was now nearly gone. The weather was nice. There was a slight breeze about the trees and the sun was shining brightly. Strider was now leading the party and seemed to know exactly were to go. Sauranox was riding beside Frodo and gave him a weird glance. There was something almost familiar about him and Frodo was almost sure it was the thick eye brows. 

"What is the world like that the Under-dwellers live in, Arwen?" asked a curious Pippin.

"Dark, gloomy, and cold from what I hear" answered Arwen.

"I would be freezing in such a place" shuttered Merry.

"The Under-dwellers are like spirits. They do not feel as we do" Arwen said.

"They wouldn't be cold?"

"No"

After a bit of talk of Under-dwellers they talked of goblins and trolls. Myrth did a good job of frightening every one by saying that some goblins still roamed around the land (The ones that survived the battle of 5 armies). This was true but most had been killed by wood elves. So, this conversation led them to talk of Sauron which lasted long until the set camp. It was a restless night for Frodo. It always seemed that some thing was watching him. Something darker than the night itself. He didn't sleep for hours but after what seemed like ages he drifted off.

"Mr. Frodo, wake up! Some thing is here!" Frodo awoke to Sam shaking him.

"What do you mean 'something'" he asked sitting up.

"Well, I'm not quite sure, Mr. Frodo, sir but from a distance it looked like one of those Black Riders" Sam answered. Frodo stood up alarmed. Sure enough there was a Black Rider on horse back swiftly coming towards them.

"Run!" Frodo called and everyone was up in an instant and scattered every which-way in another. Frodo and Sam stayed together and they could here Shrell, Merry and Pippin not far behind. It was dark as ever and Frodo had no idea where he was going and before he knew it he had fallen into some kind of ditch. The others fell down as well and it was a trouble some matter of who was where but before they could sort themselves out there was a pounding of hooves and then they stopped and the sound of footsteps could now be heard. The Rider stopped near the hole and peered down and then jumped into the it. Everyone was as silent as possible as the Rider explored the ditch. They could feel his presents as he drew nearer to them. Frodo thought that it was surely the end when Merry lifted a rock from the dirt and hurled it up onto the path above. The Rider turned and got out of the ditch and galloped after where the noise had been. Everyone was relieved but still frightened. Incase there were more Riders they thought it best to stay in the ditch for the night. It was an uncomfortable sleep considering everyone was squished by the other in some way but they awoke to the sound of Smeagol tormenting and teasing them.

"The nasty hobbitses sleeps in holeses! Like nasty worms!" he sang and mocked.

"Oh, I wish the Riders found you, miserable creature" a rather squished Pippin moaned.

"No, Riders couldn't find the tricksy Smeagol, no! They didn't find us, precious, did they?" He sat by the edge of the ditch and cocked his head and watched them. They were having lots of trouble trying to get out when there were voices in the distance and Smeagol scurried off.

"It looks like we caught a goblin!" said a deep familiar voice. At that moment two men peered over the edge of the ditch.

"I don't think we caught goblins, Gimli" 

"I'm blessed! It's Frodo and his friends!" said the dwarf leaning over to get a closer look.

"Gimli? Legolas? I never expected to see you two again!" Frodo was shocked and pleased at the same time.

"Oh, let's get you out of there, then" said Legolas. He let down a rope and one by one they climbed out. Frodo explained about the whole journey and Gimli and Legolas told their tale as well. It tuned out that they had been trapping goblins for money and hadn't heard of the ring since it had been thought destroyed. Shrell was introduced and Gimli and Legolas found her to be just as likable as the other hobbits. After a long conversation they decided to find the others and set out at once. It wasn't long before they found them further up the path. Luckily with all of the ponies. All that knew Legolas and Gimli were very pleased and said hello at once. Frodo introduced (or tried to introduce) the rest of them.

"This is Myrth the Red and Saura---" he was cut off by Sauranox.

"I think I should inform you that there never was a Sauranox" he said then pulled down the viel that had covered from his eyes down. It was Gandalf! Everyone stood there shocked. 

"Gandalf?" Frodo gasped.

"Yes, Frodo. I to have returned and though Sauranox wasn't a wizard there was one wizard considered 'the Black'" he told them.

"Who?" asked Sam.

"The wizards name was Sauron the Black." everyone was speechless. 

"You mean--" 

"Yes. The Sauron that we fear now." 

"But how--"

" He was a good and powerful wizard once but as the years rolled on he wanted more and more power and the only way he could get it was by making mortals afraid and so he became more and more evil but couldn't make the elves fear him and so he created the ring against them" He answered after cutting off Sam twice. "But now is not the time to talk of how Sauron came to be. We must stop him. We will need all the help we can get."

"Then we shall go as well!" cried Gimli.

"Very well" said Myrth with a nod and they started out at once. Smeagol did finally find them along the way and continued to follow them. It was many weeks across bare, treeless land and finding the mountains that surrounded Mordor seemed so far away. 

It was incredibly hot and they had to rest much more often then when they started the journey but not usually was there a beast that attacked them till one dark summer night. They had been sitting around a fire telling tales when there was a squeak from Shrell and when they looked she was gone. They could here the cackling of goblins and they quickly grabbed weapons and ran towards them. 

When they found Shrell she was tied up and one of the goblins had a rusted sword to her throat. Legolas aimed his bow and shot it though the head. Shrell did her best to hop away from the other goblins but soon fell to the ground and Frodo had to save her before she was stepped on. Her untied her as fast as he could and they fought the remaining goblins. It was a long and horrid battle but soon the goblins were destroyed. They were about to return to the fire when there was a rumbling in the ground and an immense goblin stood in front of them.

"I am Og, son of Bolg!" he shouted. "You shall suffer!" He came charging towards them as many other goblins followed. Frodo was soon attacked by five of them and he began to swing his blade. He had to be very quick on his feet to dodge the giant goblin-swords and even quicker to stab them but with much work the five lay dead on the ground. It was a short victory considering two more goblins attacked him. After a lot of swinging and dodging the two stabbed at the same time. Frodo was just swift enough to duck before the sword would have pierced him. The two goblins stabbed each other and fell to the ground. Frodo stood up to see the gigantic shadow of Og over him. He looked up at the fierce goblin's face. Og gave a dreadful swing of his sword and it nearly crushed Frodo but he ducked just in time. Frodo returned with a stab to Og's stomach but Og was able to dodge it and after many close calls Frodo finally stabbed Og in the leg. The goblin gave a cry of pain and rage. He grabbed Frodo by the neck and picked him up off the ground.

"Now I shall crush your bones, halfling!" he roared and tightened his grip on Frodo's neck. Frodo found it hard to breathe and just when he thought he couldn't take it anymore he heard a cry from Sam.

"You leave Mr. Frodo alone, beast!" he cried. Frodo look down to see Sam thrust his sword into Og's stomach. Black goblin blood squirted everywhere. Og's eyes went wide, his grip on Frodo's neck loosened, and he fell to the ground lifeless.

Frodo fell to the ground rather hard and was struck unconscious but when he woke up it was daylight and he was laying near where the fire had been.


	13. Voices in the Night

Frodo was sitting up and looking around when Gandalf came back. He walked over to Frodo and sat down beside him.

"Are you alright, Frodo?" he asked.

"Yes, though I'd like to thank Sam" Frodo answered.

"Schroligrafa wanted to thank you" Gandalf told him. Frodo was about to answer when the others returned. 

"Sorry, Gandalf, the ponies are no where in sight" Sam said approaching Gandalf.

"No, ponieses are gones. We sees the goblinses takes them and we rans" Smeagol said from the other side of the dead fire. He was crouching on a log eating another dead fish and glaring at Shrell.

Frodo thanked Sam and Shrell thanked Frodo and they all had a small lunch ( Frodo had woken up late). After lunch they debated what they should do with out the ponies (which had most of the supplies).

It was decided that they would continue on without the ponies and see how far they could get. It wasn't long before they did set out and the weather was getting warmer as it drew closer to mid-summer. Even if the weather was pleasant the land was rugged and dry and Frodo wasn't at all fond of it. As they went on the day became hotter and hotter until they feared that the sun would surely scorch their flesh. Pippin was the only one who kept up his spirits and tried to cheer everyone up. Frodo was grateful for this and soon found himself laughing at some of Pippin's small jokes and riddles and the others did as well.

"I can't keep your spirits up for long. Shrell, play us a cheerful tune, if you will" he said as he walked beside her. Shrell took out her flute and played a tune that much reminded Frodo of the Shire and it's fields and cheery hobbit holes and the wind in the trees on a warm spring afternoon.He found himself longing to be there and not in the hot weather without shade. Gimli began to sing and Myrth joined in. Shrell stopped playing at the last verse and sang with them as Pippin and Merry skipped along happily.

"So, anyway, how 'bout another riddle?" asked Pippin. They all agreed and had a rather large contest. Smeagol seemed to be getting every riddle that was asked but it was Shrell who finally stumped him but she regreted it afterwards.

"What is a wall that is not tall at all and from a tree it did fall, it will lay where it fell till the squirrels find it and the chipmunks, as well?" she questioned.

"Er, um, rocks?" a very confused and disapointed Gollum answered with little hope. He had a bad feeling that the answer wasn't rocks but it was all that came to mind.

"No, wallnuts!" Shrell answered cheerfully but was soon takled to the ground.

"It cheated! We knows it cheated!" he cried and wrapped his cold fingers around her neck. Shrell tried desperately to pry them off but it was in vain. Gandalf used his staff and knock Smeagol over the head. The creature fell to the ground senseless. Shrell was left rather stunned.

"I guess he had his heart set on winning the riddle game...." she said as she regained her footing. 

"Long ago he was cheated in a riddle game. This brought back memories to him and a cheater deserves to die" Gandalf said.

"But I didn't--" Shrell began.

"I know you didn't cheat" Gandalf replied.

"Well, that was then, this is now! That creature should learn to control himself" Merry said crossing his arms. Frodo was still in thought. Bilbo didn't deserve to die and the Gollum creature would have eaten him anyway. 

"No, it really was my fault and I lied to the creature. I'm suprised he hasn't killed me already!" Shrell said, shaking her head.

"Well, he suffered the same fate as Frodo. Now they both have nine fingers" Sam put in.

"And both tried to possess the ring" Gandalf said.

"Either way, the creature doesn't deserve to be left here. I shall carry him" Shrell turned and lifted the creature onto her back. Without much further word they set out. Most everyone was hungry but didn't wish to complain. Sam and Legolas helped carry Gollum when Shrell started to stagger and Gimli would carry him when they were tired. Myrth and Gandalf were discussing something as were Arwen and Strider and Merry and Pippin were telling cheerful tales of the Shire. Frodo felt as though soon all of them would come to a bad end. He hung his head and contiued on.

Hours past. Frodo was almost too tired to take another step. It was dusk but the weather was still humid and the land was still like sand and dust. Suddenly, There was a noise from the back of the group. Frodo turned to see Shrell and Sam on the ground with Gollum sprawled out next to them. They were the ones carrying him. Shrell scrambled to her feet.

"Hault!" she cried. Strider singnal a hault and rushed over to were the were. Frodo wasn't far behind. Sam was unconscious. 

"We must rest!" called Aragorn to Gandalf. 

It was a long night Frodo just tossed and turned and found himself worrying about Sam. He lay there in the sand but kept hearing voices that seemed rather close. After listening a bit longer he could almost make out what the were saying. It seemed to draw him in though he couldn't quite make it out over the sound of Gimli's snoring. Frodo got up. The voices seemed to be everywhere and with every breath he took they came closer. The voices were cold as ice and even though Frodo didn't know they're language he felt as though the were foreboding his death. The sound of hooves beating against the ground came closer and closer but Frodo found he was unable to move. Something held him to the spot. He felt the need to slip on the ring. Disappearing seemed to intrigue him now. His hand slowly crawled towards his pocket. He tried to restrain himself but he just could't. The voices drew coser and louder. He was afraid he could hold back no longer when he felt a bang on the side of his head and then everything went blank.

When Frodo awoke it was not yet daylight. Shrell was the only one awake. He crawled over to her and sat down next to her. She looked up from polishing her dagger and smiled.

"You alright?" she asked.

"I heard strange voices. The only way I could discribe them is......evil" he answered.

"I heard them, too. I could almost see them...."

"I didn't but I couldn't resist the ring." Frodo hung his head. "Anyway, how's Sam?" he asked looking back up at her.

"Out cold" she answered. Frodo looked over at Sam. He was laying there, peacefully.

"I hope he'll be alright" Frodo said.

"You know, your very lucky to have a friend like Sam" Shrell said with a sad smile.

"Yes, he always was there for me" Frodo replied, "You never had a friend like that, did you?" Frodo said frowning.

"No, not until I met all of you"She answered. She held up her dagger and even in the darkness it sparkled. "What do you think?" She said, handing it to him.

"Very nice. I once had a dagger like this. I called it Sting, well, Bilbo named it" Frodo said, turning the dagger over. "Sadly, I missplaced it somewhere...."

"SShh..." Shrell said, suddenly, "I hear those voices, again." She shot to her feet and looked around. Frodo could now see strange, eary, black, spirits in the air. They hardly had form and just drifted like smoke. He stood up next to Shrell. 

"What are those?" he asked.

"I don't know" Shrell answered, "but they seem to be where the voices are coming from." The spirits swirled closer. Frodo could almost make out hands in the smoke. They grasped and grabbed at the air.

"How do we fight them?" Shrell asked, despratly.

"I do not know!" Frodo had to yell over the sound of the voices. Suddenly, Shrell gave a shriek of pain. Frodo turned to see one of the stange spirits take over her body. The blackness wirled around her finger tips and her face became cold. Her eyes showed no sign of emotion. Suddenly, she spoke but in a deep, cold, voice:

One ring to rule them all.

One ring to find them.

One ring to bring them all,

and in the darkness....bind them.

The spirit left he body and she fell to the ground. The spirits fled. Frodo ran over to where her body was. Her eyes were closed tightly and her fists were cluched. He sat down beside her and rested her head on his leg. Her eyes slowly fluttered open and she stared up at him. 

"Are you alright?" he asked. Shrell nodded. "Just rest" he said smiling. She smiled back then her eyes fluttered shut..........To be continued.


	14. A Wraith, a hag, and a sand-fight

When Frodo awoke it was daylight. He sat up and nearly knocked Shrell off his leg. 

"Morning!" He said cheerfully. She open her eyes and sat up quickly. Frodo could of sworn he saw her blush.

"Yes, it is rather cheery" she said without looking at him. Frodo chuckled to himself.

"I'm afraid we have little supply for a decent breakfast but this is the best we can do." Frodo turned to see that Sam was up and Gollum as well. Sam handed him a small bit of bred and the same for Shrell. Even with the small breakfast, Frodo was very pleased with Sam being perfectly fine and that the voices didn't return that night. 

After breakfast Frodo decided to ask Gandalf about the strange voices. He was quite hasty and told the story quickly as not to waste time. Gandalf had a very deep look on his face when Frodo finished. He nodded the replied:

"I do not know how to explain this to you, Frodo. These spirits are know as Kazanogs. The feed off fear and confusion and sometimes they must make men fearful or confused to get what they feed from. If one tries to attack them they will only give them a clear entrance to the body. This is what happened to Shrell. What must be done is simply to block them out" Gandalf said, pausing a few times.

"Yes, but why did the spirit leave Shrell's body?" Frodo asked.

"She blocked it out" Gandalf answered calmly. Frodo nodded.

They set out at once. They day was very very hot as usual and without water it was hard to keep going. The food supply was low, too. They hardly had enough to last two days. Frodo's fears only grew as they continued (not to mention his hunger). It seemed as if they'd die of hunger within hours but their opinions were changed with a bad twist of events.

It was a day dry as ever and the only thing on their minds was water when the sound of someone approaching could be heard behind them. Frodo whirled around. A tall cloaked figure stood there. It's face hidden.....a Ring Wraith. 

It was not on horse back but looked just as menacing. It drew it's sword and swiftly charged towards them. Frodo had no time to think before it had knocked him to the ground and the sword was to his throat. The creature lifted his sword and was about to bring it down on Frodo's neck. Frodo saw the sword gleam in the sun light. He shut his eyes tightly.

Suddenly there was a twang and a high buzzing sound. Frodo opened his eyes to see the Ring Wraith catch the arrow in mid-air.The Wraith turned to Legolas and Gimli, who readied their weapons. Every arrow Legolas fired was dodged of caught by the Ring Wraith and Gimli's ax was nothing against the blows of it's sword.

"Your arrows are not swift enough, elf!" Gimli growled.

"You swing ax too lightly, dwarf!" Legolas called back. 

With another swing of the Wraiths sword Gimli fell to the ground. Every one fought but it wasn't enough. Gandalf's and Myrth's spoken enchantments failed and the sword of Aragorn was flung to the ground by the blade of the Wraith.

Frodo crawled to his feet and stood. He drew his dagger but found himself held-fast and couldn't make himself move. He could almost hear the ring call out to him in a cold voice. His hand crawled down towards his pocket. He found the ring and was about to put it on his finger when he heard a fearful cry. Frodo regained himself. He shoved the ring in his pocket and looked towards the Wraith. It's back was turned and it's sword lifted.....Sam was on the ground right under the blade. 

Frodo let out a cry of anger and leapt at the Wraith. He was able to catch hold of it's left shoulder. He lifted his dagger and drove it into the Wraiths back. It let out a painful cry and turned to Frodo.

Frodo stood his ground, dagger in hand and not a glint of fear in his eyes. The Wraith swung it's sword but Frodo blocked it and all the other blows then stabbed it's leg. The Wraith let out another cry. It brought it's sword down on Frodo's head.

Frodo was not able to move back fast enough and the sword's tip cut across his forehead. It was not deep but had a pain to it that Frodo had only felt once before. He felt dizzy but leapt again at the Wraith. 

"Run fools!" cried Gimli. Everyone ran but Frodo.

"You don't stand a chance!" Merry grabbed him by the arm and Frodo decided not to struggle and ran. He did not know how fast or how far when they finally stopped for rest but he felt dizzy and not himself. 

"Frodo, how did you get that?" Pippin asked, walking over to him and putting a finger on the scar. Frodo leaned forward and bit Pippin's arm. Pippin pulled back looking shocked and rather offended.

"Now what was that for?" asked Merry, walking up beside the bewildered Pippin. 

Frodo made a growling sound in his throat and Merry stepped back.

"It is not his fault. A sword of evil has poisoned his mind" Arwen said. She also tried putting her hand on the wound but Frodo snarled and tried to bite her and she only pulled her hand back just in time.

"Hurry! I know of a place that can cure him!" Legolas said as he started to continue on. The others followed, Gimli and Strider carrying a struggling Frodo (who soon passed out). He didn't know how long they had traveled when he awoke. He would have tried to bite someone if he wasn't so weak. He could hardly see.

"Please! For the sake of his friends!" came Legolas' voice.

"What's in it for me" said a high, cackling voice.

"Do we really need another Black Rider?!" shouted an angry Shrell, who had tears in the corners of her eyes but was not yet crying.

"Hmmm....They don't bother me" answered the voice. Shrell was glaring and her nose was scrunched up in rage.

"Well, does it matter to you if the Dark Lord rules again?!" screamed a crying Sam

"You couldn't change such a fate!" The voice laughed and cackled. Strider stepped foreword.

"It is I, Aragorn, King of Gondor. Help us now, and you will be rewarded." Strider kept calm but you could see in his eyes he was fearful. 

"King?" The voice cackled. "We have a deal!"

The last thing Frodo remembered after that was being bashed on the head then nothing.

It was early when Frodo awoke. Sam had his head on Frodo's stomach and Shrell was holding his hand. Despite how much Frodo wanted to get up he didn't have the heart. He heard Gimli and Legolas arguing about something and found himself listening and in an amused way.

"No need to get irrational, Master Dwarf. You're just not as good at catching Goblins as I." Legolas said in the most aloof way.

"I am far better than any Elf!" growled Gimli.

"Far less decent" muttered Legolas.

"You Elves never live! Eating light Elven cakes when you could be eating raw meat on a stick!"

Legolas looked unmistakably disgusted and walked away from Gimli and awoke Shrell, who woke the rest of the Hobbits. 

Frodo was very pleased to be up but soon wished he was back asleep when he met his 'healer.' She was an old woman. She was about the same height as Gimli and resembled him around the eyes. She always would laugh and cackle and always poke and pinch Frodo.

The hobbits hadn't left his side when he was injured. They were always putting fresh herds on his forehead, feeding him, or, when no help was needed, just sitting by him and perhaps holding his hand. He was very thankful for this and spent most of his time with them as he recovered.

It was a late summer day when Frodo fully recovered. The woman (who's name was Durnal) was inspecting the scar fore no real reason and poked Frodo in the rib twice.

"It looks pretty bad. You should stay for at least a week" Durnal said as Frodo looked pained at the thought.

"Alright, Durnal, you've had your fun. I'll inspect Frodo's scar." Shrell had her arms folded and was looking down at the kneeling Durnal with an eyebrow quirked. 

Durnal grunted in disapproval and scuffled off, muttering.

Shrell knelt down beside Frodo. She lifted a few strands of hair off his face and ran her thumb over the scar then frowned.

"It must have been painful. It hurt me just to watch you sleep. You were in a cold sweet and looked so afraid and helpless. There was nothing any of us could do for you then and that thought pained me but it pained me more...to see you suffer. Anyway, ''tis only a mere scratch now. That horrible hag just wanted to poke you more" Shrell said as she let Frodo's hair fall back over his forehead but kept her hand on the scar. She shut her eyes tightly. Tears escaped the corners of her eyes but didn't roll down her cheeks. She bit her lip to keep herself from sobbing.

"What's wrong, Shrell?" Frodo asked rather bewildered but sad. He never had seen Shrell teary and never expected to.

"We came so close to losing you. Durnal almost let you die and when she did help I still wasn't sure if we could trust her. You barely breathed. Many a time I thought you were dead. You also developed a fever and-"

Frodo cut her off by pulling her into an embrace.

"I'm fine now, Shrell. Be still" he whispered in her ear.

"I thought so from the beginning!" came a cry of glory. Shrell got up and turned to see a grinning Merry.

"You want a fight Bradybuck?" Shrell said with a smirk.

"You bet we do!" Pippin and Merry said at the same time. They all drew there daggers and began a duel (or more of a chaotic match of sword-swinging). 

"I could use your help, Baggins!" yelled Merry.

"Sure!" Frodo got up and joined the fight.

"This isn't fair! Sam, help!" Shrell called over to where Sam was sitting.

Soon there was a huge fight of sword-clashing and sand throwing. Legolas and Gimli were the first to join the hobbits, then Gollum. Myrth joined in with Strider and Arwen and even Gandalf joined the odd "duel."

There was a lot of screaming and words shouted such as:

"Eat sand, Pip!" 

"Not bad, Master Elf!"

"For the Shire!"

"Some King you are!"

"Die Wizard"

"You fight like a woman!"

"I am a woman!"

and a good many other things.

"WHAT IS GOING ON!!" yelled a high, angry voice. Everyone stopped, frozen in their positions. There was a long silence while Durnal glared at them. No one moved fore what seemed like ages then there was a shout from Merry and a sand-ball came whirling through the air and hit Durnal right in the face. Everyone laughed and the fight started again and didn't end till long after dark......to be continued.


	15. The ghost of Vorthien

Every one was asleep besides Durnal when Frodo awoke. Durnal came over to him and sat down.

"You know, your lucky" she said.

"I realized that" Frodo answered, wishing she would go away.

"I couldn't have healed you if that Elf-girl hadn't passed by" she continued.

"Elf-girl?" Frodo asked.

"Yeah, she sold me some herbs and at a very high price" Durnal answered, "You're just lucky she did pass by! And that I bought them."

"Yes, I am grateful" 

"And for buying them and healing you I think I deserve a kiss!" Durnal drew closer to Frodo.

"Uh... I have to wake the others!" Frodo jumped to his feet and ran to wake Merry and in being in such a hurry he didn't notice Legolas sitting on a rock, laughing.

It was noon when they set out. Durnal had provided them with a good amount of food, but it wasn't at all tasty and no one could tell what it was (not that they wanted to). Merry and Pippin were as cheerful as ever and still would throw sand at each other on occasion.

The days that came to pass were long and hot. The food Durnal had given them only became worse and their water couldn't have been any worse. It wasn't long before they came to the edge of tall mountains.

"These are the mountains that guard Mordor!" cried Sam.

"We must continue! It is not safe to rest here" Gimli said.

They traveled on with weapons ready. There was many a disturbing sound as they traveled on. The days passed not as hot and the wind grew colder. When they rested they didn't get much sleep at all and when they were walking hardly a word was spoken.

It was a windy day among the rocks when things began to stir. Legolas was easily climbing over the rocks as everyone else struggled for foot-holds and many a time slipped off the rocks and scraped themselves. They decided to rest just after noon and were eating some of the dreadful food when there was a noise from behind the huge rocks. Gimli readied his ax.

"What is it?" asked a frightened Pippin who quickly hid behind Strider.

"I'll smash it to bits!" cried Gimli as he ran behind the rocks. There was a twang and then Gimli stumbled back from behind the rocks with an arrow stuck in his helmet.

"It's an evil witch!! Run for your lives!" Gimli called. 

Out from behind the rocks stepped an Elf with her bow strung and drawn back. Seeing the rather large party she put her arrow back and looked up. 

"How dare you call an Elf a witch!" she said glaring down at Gimli.

"Think nothing of it, Elf-Maiden. He didn't mean anything by it" Myrth exclaimed.

"No young woman should be traveling these mountains. What brings you here?" asked Legolas.

"My business is my own" she answered.

"Then I suggest you travel with us" Gandalf put in.

"With this monster?" she asked, looking down at Gimli.

"I will to it that he doesn't bother you" Legolas said.

"This is unthinkable! A Dwarf in my presence, but it is good to look upon another Elf. I shall follow you" she answered.

It turned out that the Elf's name was Safarien and she had been looking for an old Elvish treasure lost in the mountains. She was of noble blood and would not let it go unnoticed. She saw to it that everyone new and expected their respect and worship. She grew to hate Gimli very much and didn't apologize for the arrow that had made a hole in his helmet and took the others ages to get out.

Days passed and the weather grew colder. Frodo had grown so sick of hearing Legolas, Gimli, and Safarien argue about such pointless things. The other Hobbits seemed to be thinking something along the same course. 'Did it really matter who was better at fighting Orcs?.'

Frodo was always glad when they could finally rest and when they did the subject would usually change to something else, though Frodo didn't talk much.

"Did you see that horrid old hag on your way to the mountains?" asked Safarien as they sat around a fire.

"Yup. She was pretty awful" answered Pippin.

"Oh! Are you the one that sold her those herbs?" asked Sam.

"Yes" Safarien answered.

"She said you priced them high" Frodo mumbled.

"Those were Elvish herbs! High? I did no such thing!" she said, rather offended.

"Anyway! Strider offered her a mere 200 so she'd heal Frodo!" Pippin said, cheerfully.

"A What?!!" shouted Safarien.

"200" 

Safarien leapt over to Pippin and rapped her hands around his neck and shook him back and forth.

"Idiot!! It wasn't worth that much! You wasted good money!" she cried, not letting go of Pippin's neck.

Legolas, being quick on his feet, jumped up and at once started prying Safariens hands off Pippins neck.

"I told you she was a witch" muttered Gimli.

"No, she is just wise with money" answered Legolas as he dragged her away from Pippin.

"You alright, Pip?" asked Shrell.

"Never better!" he answered more cheerfully than ever.

"Umm...ok" Shrell mumbled to herself, rather confused. She wandered off to get fire wood.

"Have any of you ever heard of the Vorthien?" asked Aragorn.

"No" answered the Hobbits.

"It is a strange creature that haunts these mountains" Aragorn answered.

"It was long ago in the Mountains of Mordor. An Elf, much like Legolas. His name was Vorthien. He had information about an old treasure of Lothlorien." Safarien perked up at this. "He was tortured but he would not reveal the resting place of the treasure. Near death, one of Sauron's Orcs gave him one last chance. He refused. His last words being 'This treasure is mine. Till it rests in my hands, all come to pass shall die.' And with that he died. Days passed but all Orcs that explored the mountains looking for the treasure were never found again. Dwarves searched but with little luck, all never seen again and it is said that all come to pass in distance of the treasure disappear and never more are seen and...."

Aragorn's face turned fearful, his eyes fill with dread. 

Frodo felt something move behind him. He was about to turn around when he felt some thing grab him around the neck. It pulled him from the rock he was sitting on. 

Frodo struggled and screamed but it was no use. Soon he was on the ground. But what was this? The sound of laughter around the fire?

Frodo turned over to look strait into the eyes of....Shrell. She too was laughing and Frodo too found himself chuckling.

"Frodo! Get up, you're squishing me!" Shrell laughed. When she pulled him off the rock she had tripped and ended up getting squished by Frodo.

Aragorn helped the two of them up.

Legolas and Safarien were clapping happily.

After a small dinner they all went to sleep. Gimli took the first watch.......to be continued.


	16. If tears must fall, then let them

When It was Frodo's turn to stand guard he was very sleepy and wished he could be sleeping happily. Shrell was awake as well, though she looked so emotionless and cold. She was poking the ashes from the fire with a stick. Her hood no longer covered her face. She had been wearing it ever since they set foot on the mountains.

"Shrell, are you alright?" Frodo asked.

"Yes.....just...just tired" she stuttered. "I'm going....for a walk.."she said, placing the stick on the ground. She got up and began to walk away.

"Shell! That's crazy! Come back!" He quickly gabbed her by the arm and spun her around to face him.

"Stay back! I don't want to hurt you!" she said, twisting her arm free and taking a step back.

"What? Shrell? What are you talking about?" Frodo looked confused.

"The Ring, Frodo"

Shrell's eyes were unblinking and she looked so afraid. Her hands trembled at her sides.

"Slowly.....It grows in my mind....I can't help it...." she said, looking Frodo in the eyes.

"Would you take it from me, Shrell?" he asked as though to test her.

"I...."

Frodo took the ring from his pocket and held it in his hand, open to her. Her hand trembled as it approached the ring. Frodo bit his lip. Shrell took the ring and slowly held it up. Frodo could see the ring reflect in her clear blue eyes. He could hear voices surrounding her. They spoke the language of Mordor. He could tell by the grim words. In Frodo's mind; the darkness of the night seemed to be consuming Shrell. The voices grew closer. He could hear them, see them, feel them. Then Shrell disappeared. Frodo awoke from his thoughts to see Shrell holding the ring, still. Her eyes closed and she brought the ring down so it no longer reflected in them. Her hand slowly moved towards Frodo. It trembled as she placed it back in his pocket. Her eyes met his again.

"I've, far too many times, come too close to crying" She said. Then she turned and ran.

Frodo fell into panic. Orcs and other creatures covered these mountains. Shrell didn't stand a chance! He woke Gollum and grabbed his dagger. 

Gollum wasn't at all happy to stand watch early but did so. Frodo raced after Shrell. It was so dark he had not a clue where he was going. The glow of pink eyes was all he could see. There were cries of nameless beasts in the distance. Frodo followed the shrieks and to his luck came to see the shadow of Shrell. She was surrounded by Orcs. Frodo had often seen her fighting with two daggers but now she was fighting with what looked to be a staff of some sort.

"Fools! This shall be the death of you!" she yelled, driving the staff through an Orc's head. 

Frodo drew his dagger and charged towards the nearest Orc, stabbing it in the back. It let out a horrible cry of pain as it fell.

Shrell chopped another Orc in half. Her staff was obviously quite sharp. Then, drove it through one's heart. It wasn't long before every Orc lay dead. 

Shrell bowed her head. 

Frodo heard in the distance a twang. Shrell lifted her head and turned towards the sound, alarmed. 

Frodo saw and arrow fly through the air and drive itself into the silowet of Shrell. She fell to her knees. Frodo was certain it had pierced her heart.

An Orc stepped out from behind the rocks. 

Frodo let out a cry of rage and flung his dagger at the beast. The Orc caught it in mid-air.

Weaponless, Frodo darted towards the Orc. He fought with all his might but it was no use, the Orc was far to strong. Though he put up a good fight, he was knocked to the ground by the Orc. It's yellow eyes seemed to glow with pleasure. Frodo was about to be run through with his own dagger. Though he had been knocked to the ground before, this time he would not close his eyes. If death were upon him, so be it. He stared back at the Orc, waiting. It was at the moment he felt a rush of air. The next thing he knew there was an arrow beside his hand. Without thinking, he grabbed it and ran it through the Orc's heart. It's eyes rolled back in it's head. The pleasure of killing something was diminished as it fell down.

Unfortunately, the Orc fell right on top of Frodo. It was impossibly to breath! He struggled but it was no use. He was sure his lungs would burst when he felt the Orc being lifted. It was flung to the ground and Frodo found himself staring up at Shrell.

Her eyes were blue as ever though there was a wound that ran from her left jaw bone up to the right side of her forehead. Blood ran down her face and neck but she looked fierce as the first time Frodo saw her fight.

The staff he had seen was not of wood at all but of her two daggers! Frodo remembered hearing of blades that could be attached and use as a staff. Shrell was staring down at him.

"Decided to kill some Orc, Master Frodo?" she said, giving him a hand up.

"Shrell, what happened? Are you alright?" Frodo asked, taking her hand and pulling himself up.

"I was not careful. Orc blades are fast. As for the arrow, it pierced my shoulder, not my heart" she answered, not looking as fierce.

"The very arrow that saved my life" Frodo said, smiling. "Shrell, before you left you said that you had, far too many times, come too close to crying. What did you mean by it?" Frodo asked.

"I only wish to be strong, Frodo. For all my life if I once had a friend, somehow they were torn away from me. I have held my feelings back. I do not falter to the point of being so weak I must shed a tear. I remain strong for those I have lost" she answered.

"To shed a tear is not to be weak. Let go of you past." Frodo placed a hand on her shoulder. Shrell looked back up into his eyes, tears now streaming down her face. She sunk to her knees. Frodo knelt beside her.

"If tears must fall, then let them" he said. Shrell fell foreword onto his shoulder. She was almost sobbing.

"NASTY HOBBITESSSS!!! WE WANTS TO SLEEPP!" came a cry from Gollum.

"What did you do now?" Shrell asked, half laughing half crying.

"Let Gollum stand watch. We better hurry back!" 

The both scrambled to their feet but found themselves looking at each other strait in the eyes. Shrell began to glare at Frodo.

"How did I let that happen?" Shrell said, placing her hands on her hips.

"Huh?" Frodo answered, rather amused.

"Let you get taller than me!" ....................to be continued.


	17. The Ring's power begins to grow

Frodo stood watch for another half-hour but nothing came to pass. Shrell had fallen asleep. She looked very peaceful, as though she was in a grassy field sleeping under the sun. Safarien also looked quite content. Frodo guessed she was probable dreaming of counting money or something along that line.

Soon Frodo could sleep. Sam was standing watch.

Frodo couldn't really sleep. He dozed and dreamed but he was far from peaceful. The ring kept whirling around in his head. He tossed and turned, trying to take it off his mind but it was not use. When he finally did sleep his dreams were filled with thoughts of evil........

The Nine Riders. They drew closer and closer. The voices of Mordor surrounded them as though they might have been speaking it or perhaps thinking it. Though Frodo didn't know the language he knew what they were saying.

He realized the Riders were not surrounding him but.....Sam.

Sam was fighting them. His small sword clashed against their giant blades. They kept drawing closer and all Frodo could do was watch from a distance. He was helpless!

His thoughts changed. He saw Merry and Pippin fighting off Orcs. Brave and noble as it was they were far out numbered by the Orcs. As before, Frodo was left distressingly helpless as Merry and Pippin battled the Orcs.

Everything then went black then slowly in the blackness the ring appeared. The fiery letters seemed to shine so brilliantly. He slowly picked the golden ring up. The voices drew closer. He felt the need to put on the ring. His finger shakily moved towards it. Then he put it on.

At that second there was a blaze of fiery red. An eye appeared, red as the flame that circled it and instead of a normal eye it had a black slit, much as the eye of a snake. The eye of Sauron.

His thoughts went back to Sam and the Riders. It was too late! Frodo saw from afar the menacing cloaked figures run their swords through the faithful Samwise and within that moment Frodo felt as though every thing was lost.

He saw Pippin and Merry vanquished by the Orcs and then he saw himself. Surrounded in darkness with only the ring in his possession and he could only watch as turned into a creature of hatred and darkness.....a Gollum.

Frodo awoke with a start. He was shaking with fear. He looked around making sure that Pippin, Merry and Samwise were all okay.

"Did you dream?" came the voice of Arwen. She was standing guard.

"Yes..." he answered, shakily.

"Of the ring, Frodo?" she asked drawing closer, her eyes blazing. "Of your friends?"

"What do you know of my dreams?" Frodo asked, alarmed.

"Everything, Frodo, Everything." She still came closer. "I hate the thought of your pain. You suffer from this burden but why, Frodo? You suffer needlessly. I could spare you of this burden."

Frodo scrambled backwards on the ground. Arwen still drew nearer.

"All your pain washed away. Your fears gone" she continued.

"Stay back" Frodo cried. He came to the edge of a drop off over a rock they had climbed over the day before. It looked like a long fall. Arwen came closer.

"Give it to me!" 

Memories of Boromir filled Frodo's mind. Arwen had the same look on her face. The look of rage and greed.

As she came closer, knife in hand, Frodo could see a cleary and almost translucent figure behind her.....Boromir. His face and expression the same as Arwen. He seemed to become part of her.

"It's mine!" She cried and lunged at him. Frodo was just able to roll out of the way and escape the blade but fell off the edge of the rock and was left hanging be one arm. 

"Don't make me kill you!" She raised her knife and brought it down towards him. He had no choice. He released the rock and fell.

He hit the ground hard and was left winded. He could hear the screams of Arwen from above.

"I'll find you! It's mine! It's mine!"

To Frodo's alarm her cries of agony grew closer. He scrambled to his feet and ran. many thoughts filled his mind. 'Wouldn't it be easier just to slip on the ring and stay unseen.'

Frodo forced the thought out of his mind. He did not know where he was going. He climbed rocks and passed trees but he was lost. When he grew tired from running he stopped. He sat down with his back against a tree, put his head in his hands and sobbed. If everything had seemed hopeless before it seemed more now. Perhaps everyone would go after the ring. How could he altar such a fate. 

Frodo tried to clear his mind and sleep but all he could hear through the night were the cries of the frustrated Arwen..........to be continued.


	18. Under the Stars

Frodo stared out at the stars for most of the night. He tried to take the ring off his mind but only managed to bring back memories that seemed so long ago. He thought of the first journey. It seemed so long ago. His mind drifted back to when he sailed off across those misty seas to the Grey Havens. He thought of Bilbo. He remembered returning to Hobbiton and the cheerful grassy fields of the Shire. He remembered meeting Shrell.

Frodo smiled a little. "Shrell...." Frodo shook his head.

"Don't be ridiculous. She's from the Northern Waste. She probably considers you some weak Hobbit with no strength in battle and for all you know she could be a traitor" Frodo said to himself, just realizing he said it out loud.

"I resent that" came a voice from behind him. Frodo looked over his shoulder to see Shrell leaning up against a tree with her arms crossed.

"Oh, I meant nothing by it!" Frodo said standing up.

"I know you didn't" she said walking over to him.

"What are you doing out here?" Frodo asked.

"Me? I'd like to know what you were doing! You've been gone for hours!"

"Uh..."

"And I think that Arwen is up to something" Shrell continued.

"What makes you think that?" Frodo asked.

"You were tossing and turning, probably having a dream but you looked very frightened. I got up to see if you were alright, if you know what I mean, and she bashed me on the head! I'm not sure how long it took me to regain my senses but when I did I heard a lot of screaming and you and Arwen were both gone" she said, seeming perplexed but intense about the matter.

"I think I can explain" Frodo answered, taking a deep breath.

Frodo told her the whole story, starting with the dream. Shrell was frowning through the whole thing, sometimes looking quite sorry for Frodo. By the end of the tale she had bitten her lip and was staring at the ground.

"I'm sorry. I truly am" she said, looking up at Frodo.

"For what?"

Frodo realized the space between their mouths was only inches. He felt a chill run up his spine as he slowly leaned forward. Shrell did the same. Their lips were about to meet when there was a crackle of leaves behind them.

Shrell spun around, only brushing Frodo lips lightly with hers. She seemed very alarmed.

"Frodo, run" she whispered. 

Frodo had no time to look and see what was behind him or think of the kiss he had almost gotten when she grabbed him by the arm and began to run. He followed without hesitation.

They ran for a long time without a clue where they were going and Frodo still not knowing what they were running from. It seemed like they went on for ages but Shrell did finally stop.

"So, why did we run?" Frodo asked, out of breath and very disappointed.

"You didn't see her?! Arwen! It's best to stay clear of her, if we can. Until we find the others" Shrell answered.

"Yes, I can understand that but I'm getting quite weary. Could we rest?" He asked.

"I'm not the one to decide that, you are. If you wish to rest then you shall" she answered with a bit of a laugh. 

They found a small cave in the rocks, which would serve well for hiding from Orcs and they could also see the stars from inside. After hour of star gazing they both fell fast asleep and this time pleasant dreams filled Frodo's mind, such as the Shire......................to be continued.


	19. The Uruk-Hai

Frodo awoke to the sound of Shrell's flute. She was playing a fast but smooth tune. Frodo waited for the song to end before crawling out of the cave.

"Awake, are we?" she asked.

"Phase that differently. It reminds me of Gollum" Frodo answered, yawning.

"And what's so bad about Smeagol?" she asked, hopping off the rock she had been sitting on.

"Nothing. Just not the kind of person I like to wake up to in the morning" Frodo answered.

"You don't like to wake up at all in the morning. I myself would have liked to wake up to food." she walked over to him.

"Yes, the others have what little food we had left" Frodo answered, frowning.

Shrell began to think.

"Would there be any berries up here?"

"I don't think so"

Well, It wouldn't hurt to look"

"Nonsense, Shrell, It's no use" 

Shrell looked suddenly confused.

"Did you get enough sleep last night?" she asked.

"Why?" he asked.

"Well, you just seem rather.....upset" she said putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Upset! Upset!? Here I am in the middle of no where with the whole of middle earth depending on me! Well, easy for you to be cheerful, you aren't carrying around this god-damn ring and you think I'm upset! Well, I'm much more than upset, I'm furious!" Frodo yelled pushing her into the rocks. She pulled herself up looking quite shocked.

"Frodo, calm d--"

"Calm down!!!! Would you be calm if you were the one with the ring?! The ring that's turning everyone against me?! " he shouted. Shrell sighed as though she didn't know what to say.

"For all I know You could be trying to steal the ring, too" Frodo continued.

"Frodo, stop it!" Shrell said, putting both hands on his shoulders and looking him in the eye. Frodo started to breathe harder, tears rolled down his cheeks.

"I'm-I'm afraid" he said shakily.

"I am, too" Shrell answered.

"I feel so alone."

Frodo let his head fall on Shrell's shoulder as he cried. He felt her hands on his shoulders loosen and fall to her sides. Her head moved slightly.

"Never shall you be alone, Master Frodo. I shall never leave you" she whispered in his ear.

Frodo wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. She seemed very shocked but returned the embrace.

"Am I interrupting anything?" came a voice from behind the trees. Shrell jumped and spun around to see Sam walking towards them. Frodo had never seen Shrell's cheeks so pink in his life.

"Samwise, never do that again" she said, releasing the breath she had been holding. Sam grinned.

Frodo wiped a tear from his face and smiled.

"Sam, where are the others?" Shrell asked.

"We split up to look for you. Arwen is headed back to Rivendell" Sam answered. Shrell nodded.

Frodo felt his stomach churn.

"I think we should find the others" he said. Sam nodded. 

"We said we meet back at the fire by nightfall" Sam said. "We should start heading back."

They started to walk back to the fire. None of them talked much. It seemed they were now realizing just how dangerous the task was and it seemed to grow on them. 

Though it was midday the sun was not in the sky and it was very dark and gloomy. There was groans and moans from behind the trees but nothing appeared to be there.

Sam had been a good few paces ahead when he let out a hobbit-like squeak. Frodo and Shrell ran towards him. 

There in front of him was the biggest Orc imaginable. Frodo recognized it at once as not an Orc but a Uruk-Hai. 

Shrell drew her two daggers. The beast glared down at her, smirking. Frodo could see she was frightened by the way her hands were shaking but she didn't back down. Without another thought she charged at it and attempted to stab it in the leg but it blocked her quite easily. Frodo and Sam readied their weapons then attacked. They still were no match for the Uruk-Hai.

Sam was soon knocked to the ground, unconscientious but not badly injured. Frodo didn't think he could fight much longer.

The Uruk-Hai attacked Shrell and soon had it's sword to her neck. Frodo saw her swallow as the creature smirked evilly.

Frodo had no time to think. He trust his sword into the Uruk-Hai's back. It spun around so it was looking straight down at Frodo. It swung it blade. Frodo had no time to move. He jumped back best he could but the blade cut deep into his leg. 

Frodo yelped and fell to one knee. Not wanting to be injured again he scrambled into the bushes. The Uruk-Hai searched for him but didn't succeed. Shrell had stabbed the back of the creature's arm before it could even see the bushes. It whirled around, knocking Shrell in the head with it's fist. She fell to her knees. Her lip was bleeding. The Uruk-Hai turned and faced her, it's eyes gleamed. Using it's foot, the creature knocked her to one side.

She lay on the ground as the Uruk-Hai came closer. Smirking, it raised it's sword. It then swung it down at Shrell.

Shrell was just able to roll out of the way in time. Frodo saw something roll out of her cloak. She regained her footing and turned to face the Uruk-Hai. Her eyes drifted down to one of it's feet. 

Frodo saw her swallow. Under the foot of the Uruk-Hai was a wooden flute. It had Elven carvings on it and was of a light colored wood. Shrell's flute.

The Uruk-Hai gleamed with an evil pleasure. It slowly brought it's foot down, sending cracks through the pure wood. Then, stepped down harder, breaking it into pieces.

Shrell was twitching with anger. She spat and then attached her two daggers. They spent a good amount of time just staring at eachother then Shrell attracked.

Before the Uruk-Hai knew it, Shrell had run one end of her double-bladed staff through it's stomach. She pulled the blade back and watched the giant creature fall to the ground.

Shrell then woke Sam who seemed a little dizzy. Frodo gave a cry from the bushes and Shrell came quickly.

"I can't move my leg" Frodo said, weakly.

"Give me your hand" Shrell said, holding out hers. Frodo took it and she pulled him up. Then he leaned on her as the made their way slowly back to the camp, Sam just ahead.........to be continued.


	20. The Quest lies in the hands of the littl...

It was noon when they reached the camp site. No one was there and it looked rather gloomy.

Frodo sat down on a rock with some help from Shrell. His leg was throbbing, though he tried his best not to show that he was in pain.

"Sam, do you know how to treat a wound?" Shrell asked, one of her hands placed on Frodo's leg.

"Well, yes but I'd need the right herbs" Sam answered.

"Check Safarien's pack. She might have something" Shrell answered. Sam nodded and looked through the pack of Elven herbs. Finding a strange looking bottle of dried leaves, he walked back over to them.

"I need water but the others took all of it" Sam said, hanging his head.

"So what do you want me to do? Spit?" Shrell asked, sarcastically. Sam didn't reply and looked at the ground. Shrell muttered something under her breath. She turned to Frodo. He looked quite pained.

"You have to spit, too" Shrell said, not pleased by the whole affair.

"Deal" Sam answered. He took out one of his cooking pots and put some of the herbs in.

"You first" he said, smiling.

"What!"

Sam held out the pan closer to Shrell. She frowned and spat in it. This went on for awhile, until both their mouths were dry. 

"What's going on?" asked Pippin, who just walked up to them, Merry just behind. 

"Nothing important. Do you want to spit in the pan?" Shrell answered, with a fake smile. Merry looked confused and Pippin spat in the pan at once, though he didn't have a clue why. Sam made Merry hold the pan.

"Go on. Spit in it" he said, waving his hands slightly.

Merry spat in the pan, though he wasn't too happy. He was just handing the pan back to Sam when it slipped out of his fingers. It went flying up into the air.

Pippin jumped up and caught it but when he landed on his feet he was knocked off balance and the pan, again went flying. Shrell and Sam both ran towards it as it was falling but only looking at the pan and ended up colliding and falling to the ground.

Merry ran over and caught it just in time. 

"That was close" he said with a sigh. He was still leaning over Shrell and Sam with the pan when Pippin, who had also been trying to catch the pan, crashed into him. He fell down on Sam and Shrell with Pippin on top of him.

The pan once more went flying in the air. It hit the ground on it's side and the herbs poured out onto the ground.

"My back..." Merry moaned.

"My pan..." Sam said, quite upset.

"My spit!" Pippin cried.

Frodo smiled sadly. 'My dearest hobbits. How I wish they never got into this mess. I hope they don't come to a bad end' Frodo thought, with a sigh.

"Well, looks like we'll all be spitting a lot more" Shrell said with a sigh.

"Save your spit, I'm fine" Frodo answered, with a little laugh.

After a bit of trouble trying to get up, they sat and waited for the rest of the company.

Shrell was looking rather dazed. Her eyes weren't focussed and, even with Merry and Pippin throwing rocks at each other right across her stream of vision, didn't seem to notice anything. In that case she didn't notice Frodo staring at her.

"Shrell?" he asked. She didn't answer. He repeated himself.

"Oh! What!" she stammered, jolting out of her thoughts.

"Are you alright?" Frodo asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I suppose. I just would have liked to have my flute" she answered with a sigh.

"It must have been very meaningful to you" Frodo said, placing a hand on her shoulder. She gazed at him. Her eyes were clear blue.

"It was......I guess...It was my only friend...Well, used to be, anyway. You, Sam, Merry, and Pip have proved to be more than my flute" she answered, still gazing at Frodo. He smiled at her.

"And we shall always be your friends" Sam said.

"And if an Orc steps on us, we won't break!" Pippin said, cheerfully. Shrell chuckled.

The hours went on but no one returned. Frodo grew anxious. Shadows began to creep across the gray sky and the moon was not to be seen nor the stars. The wind grew fiercer and whipped through the trees. No one spoke and the silence was almost unbearable. There was a rustle from behind the trees and a shadowy figure could be seen. It was approaching them.

"We've lost them! There gonesssss-es" it shrieked.

"Smeagol?" Shrell asked, very much surprised.

"Yesssss? What does it wantsss" Smeagol answered, coming into view.

"Where are the others?" asked Pippin.

"We've lost them, precious, yess" Smeagol answered.

"What did you do to them!?" Sam lunged at the creature.

"We did nothingssss! Stay backs!" Smeagol cried. "We saw Orcses, nasssty oness!" he continued. "They are comings, lotsss!"

They looked at him alarmed. Not knowing if they should run. They could hear the orcs in the distance.

"We must hurry! If the others don't find us..so be it. The quest lies in our hands" Frodo said, standing up. The hobbits nodded. "Smeagol, you know the way, will you lead us on?"

"Yess"

The small group gathered what little belongings they had and some food, then followed Smeagol into the woods. Though, pressing on and on ahead, their thoughts were of the ones they left behind....To be continued.


	21. The Search For Frodo and Shrell

A/N: This chapter is not one following Frodo. It is set when the company goes out to search for Frodo right after 'Under the Stars' and during the chapter 'The Uruk-Hai.'

A/A/N (another authors note) Someone e-mailed me about some of the characters. I just wanted to make it clear that Shrell, Myrth, Safarien and Durnal (though she didn't appear much) are my characters. You may not use them without my permission. Thanks!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was early when the Aragorn awoke. Something was wrong. It could be sensed. The early morning air was thick and it was still dark. He was the only one awake. Something was moving through the trees. It was staggering. As the dark shape grew closer he could hear the sound of soft sobs. It stepped through the trees and fell to it's knees. The moonlight fell across the figures face....Arwen.

Aragorn knelt in front of her. "What has happened?" he asked, taking her hand in his.

"I have betrayed you. I have betrayed our cause" she answered, tears running down her face.

"You have done no such thing" he said, squeezing her hand reassuringly.

"The Ring Bearer is gone. It is my fault. Where a hobbit girl has shown the strength to forsake the ring, I have shown weakness." Her tears sparkled in the moon-light. Aragorn turned his head and looked at the ground. He didn't know what to say. He was not angry but the feeling he had was indescribable.

"The same fate has befallen many. No one holds it against you. Do not hold it against yourself" he told her, softly running a hand through her hair. "We shall find the Ring Bearer in the morning."

When the sun came over the trees and broke the darkness everyone was already awake. Merry and Pippin were eating, Safarien was trying to find out just how rich Legolas was, and Sam was sitting quietly on a rock. Arwen had packed up a few supplies and was facing north, her head lifted. Aragorn came up behind her.

"Are you certain that you will return?" he asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I am. Though I shall not be going to Gondor. I wish to return to Rivendell" she said, turning to face him. "We shall meet again, my King."

"May your journey bring you there safely. I shall always think of you. Follow the stars. Don't look back." Aragorn kissed her on the forehead, then she turned and my her way back down the mountains, slowly disappearing behind the rocks.

Aragorn was left standing there for what seemed like ages then he turned.

"We must find Frodo and Shrell" he said. "Gimli, go with Legolas. Merry and Pippin shall travel with Safarien. Gandalf and Myrth shall travel together and Sam shall come with me. Let us depart."

"What about ussss? We shall not be forgotten, precious! We shall help find the master!" cried Smeagol.

"Do you wish to go alone, creature?" asked Aragorn.

"We are notsss a creature! We are Smeagol!"

"Do you wish to go alone, Smeagol?" Aragorn repeated.

"Yess"

~~

Aragorn lead Sam through the trees. It was dark and hazy. The light was scarce and the cries of Orcs could be heard in the distance. Sam was continually spinning around to see if something was behind him and he always had his sword ready. Aragorn cut aside branches as he made his way through the trees. His heart was afraid the quest was failing.

"Samwise, stay close!" he called.

"Yes sir!" replied Sam, who scurried up behind him. "Uh, Strider, do you think those Orcs will find us?" Sam asked.

"Not if we hurry. Let's hope they haven't found Frodo and Shrell" Aragorn answered.

~~

Merry and Pippin were quietly following Safarien, who was counting on her fingers (They guessed she was adding up money). It was very still but if they listened closely they could here the cries of Orcs in the distance. They searched for hours but not a sign of Frodo could be seen.

"How far could they have gone" Pippin asked, sitting down on a rock.

"As far as they wished which could have been quite a ways" Safarien answered. Merry frowned.

"I hope the Orcs did not find them" Merry said, looking at the ground.

~~

"So. I trapped seven Goblins" bragged a proud Legolas.

"You did no such thing, Elf!" retorted Gimli.

"You can't prove me wrong!"

"I was with you the whole time!"

"At least I didn't get caught in my own trap"

At that moment an arrow came flying at them.

"Get down" cried Legolas, pushing Gimli out of the way. The arrow just missed their heads and stuck fast in a tree. A number of Orcs appeared from behind the rock. Some had swords and some had bows. Gimli regained his footing and pulled out his ax. Legolas had already shot two goblins by that time. Gimli charged, slicing an Orcs head off it's shoulders. Legolas shot three more.

"Five!" He shouted proudly. Gimli did not answer. Driven by the will to kill more Orcs than Legolas, Gimli killed two more. Then three, then four, then seven, and a good amount more till all the Orcs were slaughtered.

"Your count, Gimli?" Legolas asked, strutting over.

"38" he answered, grinning. The look on Legolas' face was priceless. He looked crushed. Gimli felt triumph grow with in him. Then , Legolas smiled.

"50!" he shouted and walked on ahead. Gimli's heart sank. He put his ax in his belt and continued on, grimly.

~~

It was far past lunch time and Sam and Aragorn had found nothing. 

"How 'bout we slip up. We'll cover more ground" Sam suggested. Aragorn seemed against the idea but nodded. They went different directions.

Aragorn walked for miles but Frodo and Shrell were no where in sight. He sat down on a rock. The trees were now his main focus. They were leafless and gnarled. Their branches seemed to grab at him. Their twisted branched swayed in the cold wind. He could only hope the others were having better luck them him.

~~

"Safarien, I'm half starved! Can we please have lunch?" moaned Pippin.

"But you just had lunch" answered a confused Elf.

"That was elevenzies" corrected Merry.

"Well, whatever it was, we're out of food now" Safarien answered, sitting down beside the two. 

The heard the sound of voices getting closer. Safarien stood back up.

"Get your weapons" she whispered. Pippin and Merry did so at once. The voices grew closer. They soon could be understood.

"I killed 78 Orcs that time"

"I killed 110"

Safarien rolled her eyes and sheathed her sword. Legolas and Gimli appeared through the trees..

"Oh!" Legolas said, quite surprised to see the other search party.

"I see you've had no better luck than I" Safarien answered, walking over. Legolas shook his head. 

"We might as well start heading back" Merry said, frowning. They all agreed and began to trudge back to the camp site.

Hours passed before the got back and the sky had begun to darken.

~~

Aragorn was still sitting on the rock. Hours had passed but he had not moved. He could hear voices approaching. He turned his head. Safarien's and Legolas' search parties were approaching. His heart sank when he saw that the didn't have Frodo and Shrell with them.

"We are headed back to the camp site! Are you coming?" called Merry.

"I suppose! Let's hope Sam had better luck than I" He called back.

"Uh, do any of you remember which way it was?" Pippin asked, shyly. They looked from one to another.

"We'll split up. Everyone goes alone." Aragorn paused, "Merry and Pippin travel together."

Merry and Pippin set out at once (and did find the camp sit, as you probably guessed).

~~

"Ahhh! Run faster, precious, faster!" 

Smeagol was running as fast as he could. The Orcs were not far behind. He dodged trees and rocks but it was no use, the Orcs were too fast. Without thinking he dove behind a rock and to his luck the Orcs charged by.

Smeagol scampered off in the other direction in hopes of finding the camp fire. He heard a cry from behind him and knew the Orcs had spotted him. He quickened his pace but even with a good lead the Orcs would find him soon. 

He felt as though he could run no further when he saw the camp site ahead. The Hobbits were all there. Knowing they must leave quickly, he ran up to them.

~~

Everyone else searched for hours but only ended up back at the same rock that Aragorn had been sitting on.

"This is hopeless" cried Safarien.

"Merry and Pippin have had better luck than the rest of us" moaned Gimli.

"Or worse" muttered Legolas.

"Let us follow their trail, then" Aragorn said with a nod.

They followed the tracks of Merry and Pippin best the could but in the dark it was nearly hopeless. It was nearly pitch black and there was no sign of the camp site. The still staggered on with little hope.

Just when they were about to give up they came upon the small camp site. There was nothing but ruble where the fire had been. What little food they had left at the camp site was strewn across the ground and Safarien's pack was the only thing that was even the slightest bit fixable.

"Orcs" Legolas said, his head hung. Safarien placed a hand over her mouth and murmured something in Elvis. Legolas looked at her sadly.

"They have left. I can sense it. They are now on their own" Legolas said , raising his head.

"Then there fate is in their own hands".....................to be continued.


	22. Star gazing from the tree tops

A/N: Ok, back to Frodo and the Hobbits. Sorry if that chapter was boring. Oh, and this chapter might be rather short.

~~

The Hobbits trudged on long into the night. Pippin had many-a-time started to doze and nearly fell over (Merry always caught him). It was far passed mid-night when they could travel no further. Everyone fell asleep quickly besides Frodo, who only dozed slightly and Shrell, who wasn't sleeping at all.

Frodo awoke from one of his dozing dreams. He wasn't very tired. There was a soft humming coming from a tree close by. Frodo stood up and walked over to it. Shrell was on one of the lower limbs humming a song she once played on her flute.

"You have a very pretty voice" he said, once she finished. She jumped a little then looked down at him.

"You can't be serious" she said with a laugh.

"I've never been more." Frodo again fond himself looking in Shrell's eyes. He tried to look away but it was no use. They were both caught in each other's gaze. Shrell suddenly laughed.

"Huh?" Frodo asked, perplexed.

"I don't know. Doesn't this feel strangely familiar?" She answered.

"Almost like the day we first met.." Frodo mused.

"Yes. It seems like that was so long ago." Shrell gazed up at the stars. "The moon is bright tonight."

Frodo saw the sparkle of the stars and the moon reflect in her eyes. She turned and gazed at him again.

"Can you see them from down there?" she asked.

"No."

"Give me your hand." She stood up on the branch and offered him her hand. Frodo took it, slowly. He put his foot on the branch and pulled himself up. Shell was knocked off balance and nearly tumbled off the limb. Frodo wrapped one of his arms around her back and saved her from falling just in time. He was staring down at her unable to break eye contact. Shrell swallowed and fell silent. Her cheeks looked rather pink.

"Scholigrafa, I do believe your blushing" Frodo said slyly. Shrell took a deep breath.

"That was graceful of me" she said sarcastically. Frodo pulled her up. They were now inches apart. "So, can you see the stars now?" Shrell asked nervously. Frodo gazed up into the night sky. It was beautiful.

"Let's get a closer look" Shrell said, grabbing the branch above her. She swung herself up and then climbed tree limbs higher. Frodo followed her. When he climbed up to her she was sitting down on a rather large limb. Frodo sat down next to her. "Ever tried to count them?" she asked wistfully.

"I suppose. I never got close to finishing" Frodo answered with a laugh. "Shrell, I'm very sorry about your flute. You seem to miss it very much" Frodo said looking down at her.

"I guess I do. It feels weird not to be able to play it" she said, looking up at him.

"That Uruk-Hai paid quite dearly, though" Frodo chuckled.

"Of course!" Shrell said proudly in a manly voice. Frodo laughed.

They spent hours just gazing up at the stars and talking till they both began to nod. Their eyes began to get heavy and, more often than not, yawed.

"I think it about time we get some rest" Shrell said, standing up. Frodo nodded and stood up. He was half asleep and ended up loosing his balance and slipping off the branch. He was sure he was going to fall when he felt an arm around his back. Shrell was looking down at him. Frodo felt his cheeks flush.

"Frodo Baggins, I do believe your blushing" Shrell said in the same kind of voice he had used. Frodo found himself unable to speak. He felt himself drawing nearer to Shrell. She was drawing slowly closer to him. 

At that minute there was a horrible crack. Frodo was suddenly aware that he was falling. The next thing he knew he hit the ground with a thud, Shrell right beside him. She muttered something under her breath then laughed.

"I don't find it one bit funny!" Frodo said, sitting up.

"No, I always used to fall out of trees when I was younger. It took me forever to learn to climb them. This is the first time in ages I've fallen out of one" she said, still laughing on the ground.

"I think you hit your head to hard" Frodo said, standing up and walking over to her. She was on her back laughing. He offered her a hand up which she took and pulled herself up. She had twisted her ankle when she fell out of the tree and ended up falling into Frodo's arms. 

"Oh, are you alright?" he asked, holding her around the waist. She didn't answer but Frodo could hear her sighing softly. "Goodnight, Shrell"......to be continued.


	23. Storms and Fools

Frodo wasn't sure how long he had slept when he awoke. It was a grim and gloomy day. The sun was out of site and it was raining quite hard. The rest of the Hobbits were already up.

"Good, now try hitting that stump" Shrell said, handing Pippin one of her daggers and patting him on the shoulder. 

Pippin flung it quite hard but missed by a foot. He frowned.

"It was a good try, Pippin" said Sam, who was leaning up against a tree.

"Alright, Shrell, If your the one teaching me to throw daggers then you have to show me your capable of doing so" Pippin said, putting his hands on his hips. "You hit the stump."

Shrell's eyes gleamed. She walked back about ten yards from where Pippin was. Her grip on the dagger tightened. Then, she spun around and with a flick of her wrist flung the dagger. It spun through the air and hit the stump dead center.

"Whoa" Pippin murmured under his breath. Shrell went up to the stump and retrieved her dagger.

"Care to try again?" she asked, handing it to Pippin.

"How did you learn to do that?" asked Merry.

"Practice. Why don't you give it a shot?" Shrell handed Merry her other dagger. "Oh, you're up" she said, walking over to Frodo.

"Mmmm...yes. How's your ankle?" he asked, stretching.

"Fine. How's your back?"

"Stiff"

Smeagol came wandering over to them.

"We smells the Orcses, we do" he said. Shrell nodded.

"We must depart, now!" Frodo called as he stood up.

The Hobbits gathered up their things and Smeagol lead them on. The rain continued to pour down and Frodo felt chilled to the bone. The trees provided no cover and as they climbed the mountains the trees disappeared from site.

"Oh, how I wish we had a nice warm fire" Frodo said with a shiver. Shrell looked up at the sky then at Frodo.

"Well, it won't be much but here." Shrell untied her cloak and put it over Frodo's shoulders. 

"You'll freeze!" he said, looking at her torn sleeves.

"You are the one I fear for, Frodo." 

The cloak only provided a bit of heat but the thought of Shrell giving up her cloak to keep him warm was enough to warm Frodo. He watched the rain soak her through and couldn't help but feel guilty, though she insisted that she was fine. 

The mountain only grew steeper. Many -a -time one of the Hobbits would lose their footing and go tumbling down the rocks. Even Smeagol found it hard to keep his footing on the steep wet rocks. It had been hours and hours before someone finally spoke.

"Please let us rest! My feet will carry me no further!" Pippin cried, falling to his knees.

"Be strong, Pip. We must make it to the top of that ledge" Shrell cried, pointing to a high ledge that seemed so far off. The wind whipped her hair over her face as she turned back for Pippin. She pulled him up onto his feet. "Don't ever give in." 

Pippin slowly made his way up beside her. One foot after another. "I'll hold that to my heart" Pippin said with a nod. Shrell and Pippin reached the others. 

"We must keep moving or the wind will blow us off the mountain!" Sam yelled over the whistling of the wind in the rocks and the pouring rain. Smeagol made his way to a small ledge above and held out his hand to Shrell. She took it and pulled herself up then offered her own to Frodo. He pulled himself up and he, Smeagol and Shrell pulled the rest of the Hobbits up. The rocks were so steep that the fear of falling was what lingered in the Hobbit's minds but they pushed that thought behind them and set there minds on helping each other to the ledge so far above. 

Smeagol was climbing the fastest. He could find footholds quite easily. He scurried up to the next over-hanging rock and climbed onto it. He reached to grab Pippin's hand but there was a sudden gust of wind that blew him off the rock and he started to tumble down the steep rocks.

"Grab him, Samwise!" Shrell shouted over the whipping wind. Sam plunged after Smeagol and grabbed him by the wrist just after he tumbled off a cliff-like rock. He dangled there, watching the ground below.

"Pulls us up! Pulls us up!!" he shouted, kicking his feet wildly.

"I can't! The wind's to strong!" Sam yelled back. Merry and Pippin slid down the rocks and knelt next to Sam. They quickly grabbed Smeagol's other wrist and helped Sam pull him up. 

Smeagol's leg was badly scrapped and twisted. He had to lean on Frodo and Shrell and sometimes one of them would have to carry the injured creature. He would often squirm and wail in pain.

"It hurtssss! We suffer!!" he shrieked in pain. 

"Hang on, we're almost there" Frodo told him.

When the reached the ledge it was dark. Shrell and Pippin climbed up swiftly and helped Smeagol up. Then Merry and Sam climbed up and quickly went searching for shelter with Pippin.

"Well, are you coming?" Shrell asked. 

"Oh, uh, yes" Frodo answered, breaking away from his thoughts. Shrell chuckled and offered Frodo a hand. He took it and climbed up onto the ledge. He looked around and frowned. The only bit of shelter there was was a small overhanging rock that would only shelter their heads.

"Could be worse" Shrell said with a shrug. She turned to follow the others, who had disappeared from sight as the searched for better shelter, when Frodo grabbed her arm.

"What is it about you?" he asked, rather dazed.

"What?" Shrell asked confused. Frodo shook his head in hope of clearing it. 

"You, uh, don't get cold even if your soaked through and without a cloak" he said, though it couldn't have sounded more untruthful. Shrell laughed. She placed a hand on Frodo's shoulder and looked into his eyes.

"Would you call me a fool?" she asked.

"Yes. And a brave one" he answered. Shrell smiled. 

"What's taking so long?" Pippin asked, popping his head over a tall rock. "We found a small cave."

Shrell and Frodo scurried over the rocks and were glad when the saw the cave was quite big and closed in from the storm. Smeagol was lying on the ground, moaning and hissing. His pain was very clear. Sam was doing his best to calm the creature and treat the wound.

"I need Algerio bark" he said with a sad sigh.

"What is that?" asked Pippin.

"The bark from an Algerio tree. They're quite tall and usually strait and their leaves are forked" Sam answered. Frodo saw Merry's eyes widen. 

"I saw one below aways! It was growing among the rocks!" he cried. 

"I shall go" Shrell said with a nod and left the cave before anyone could say a word.

"You'll be killed! The storm is getting fiercer!" cried Sam but it was too late. Shrell was far from earshot.

Frodo's heart began to race. He couldn't let her go. Without another thought he ran after her. He could hear the others calling him but paid no attention.

The rain was now so strong that it was blinding. Frodo felt his way around the rocks as he climbed off the ledge. He then scurried along best he could. It began to get dark and Frodo still saw no sign of Shrell. Lightning flashed in the sky. Frodo's fears deepened. His mind raced with all the things that could have happened to Shrell. Lighting flashed again, this time much closer.

Not watching where he was going, Frodo lost his footing and began to slide down the rocks. He felt them cutting and scraping his skin. He could not find anything to grab onto to stop himself from sliding. He felt as though he would surely die when his foot caught on something and he stopped. He gasped for breath, unable to move. He slowly glanced around. His eyes caught something that seemed quite close.

It was a tree and in front of it stood an eerie figure.

"Shrell?" Frodo whispered, staggering to his feet. The figure spun around.

"Frodo! You fool!" she cried. She ran over and flung her arms around him.

Frodo buried his head in her shoulder. He wrapped his arms tightly around her. He could not with hold his tears and he felt them running down his cheeks, soaking Shrell's torn sleeve and shoulder. She placed both hands on his shoulders and pulled back. 

"Fool. Fool" she whispered, kissing him on the forehead. Frodo noticed that tears were also running down her face.

"I could not let you go" Frodo whispered. Shrell pulled him into another embrace. Frodo rested his chin on her shoulder. 

Suddenly Shrell jolted back. She looked at her hand. Her eyes widened. Frodo glanced down at her fingers to see that their tips were stained with blood.

"Frodo, your injured" Shrell said, looking back up at him. Frodo now realized the pain in his back. "We must hurry back!" Shrell said, taking his hand........to be continued.


	24. A Wizard has his ways

Frodo was not sure how long he had been leaning on Shrell but soon everything went black and he lost all sense of time.

When he regained his senses he was in a crevice between two tall rocks and Shrell was nowhere to be seen. He tried to stand but his feet would not carry him. His back throbbed and his shoulders ached. He bit his lip and tried to make himself comfortable.

Frodo was soon aware of cries in the distance. His ears rang and he felt the blood draining from his head. Where was Shrell? Was she caught among the endless cries? Frodo closed his eyes, trying to push the thoughts out of his mind but his memory drifted back to the night in the tree. Shrell had seemed so happy. It had been one of the only times when she hadn't had a fierce gleam in her eyes or a mysterious word of wisdom. She had truly seemed to be a Hobbit, not an Elf or Dwarf out to seek revenge, though Frodo never could see her as a revenge seeker. She seemed more noble.

Frodo saw an arrow fly over the two rocks. He tried to let out small squeak but was aware of a hand over his mouth.

"Not a sound, or the Orcs will find us." Frodo turned to see Shrell, who had quickly jumped down behind him. She had two arrows in her shoulder and her lip was bleeding.

"Shrell...." Frodo murmured, looking at the arrows.

The next thing Frodo knew there was a shadow that covered them. Frodo glanced up to see an Orc.

"Get down" Shrell whispered, pushing Frodo to the ground. The Orc jumped over to the other rock and continued on. 

Frodo sat up. He glanced around for other Orcs, then tapped Shrell on the shoulder. She sat back up quite quickly, then glanced at her shoulder and frowned. 

"Are they deep?" Frodo asked, touching her arm, lightly. Shrell twisted one of the arrows and winced.

"Yes" she said. She tore off a strip if cloth from her sleeve, then grabbed both arrows in one hand and ripped them out. Wincing, she quickly bound her arm then leaned her back against the rock.

Frodo lightly brushed his finger over her lip and wiped the blood from it. Shrell's hand flew to her mouth, quite surprised at Frodo's action. Both of them could not find words.

"We have found the Halflings!"

Frodo and Shrell turned to see seven Orcs glaring down at them. Their eyes were could and their smirks were menacing. Frodo grabbed Shrell's arm and began to run, dodging arrows left and right. 

They did not stand a chance if they were to fight the Orcs and outrunning them was nearly impossible. Shrell had her daggers and would occasionally fight off an aproaching Orc but running seemed to be the only option.

They scrambled up the rocks, arrows and throwing daggers just missing them. Frodo turned to look behind him. The Orcs were drawing closer. Suddenly, Frodo heard a twand that seemed closer than the others. He felt an arrow peirce his back. He let out a cry of pain as another peirced his leg. Falling to his knees, Frodo felt his body tremble with pain. 

"Don't give in now, Frodo!" was the last thing he heard before all his thoughts went blank.

~~

Frodo awoke. Rain was pouring down onto the rocks. He was suddenly aware that he was back in the cave. Shrell was beside him, her eyes fixed on the rain dripping from the roof of the cave. She glanced down at Frodo.

"You're quite injured. Try to hold still while I remove the arrows" she said, placing a hand on his head. She then moved her hand to his back. He could feel her trembling.

"Shrell, are you alright?" he asked.

"I won't lie to you, this....will hurt..a lot" she said, pausing slightly. With her other hand she grabbed the arrow. 

"Pull it out quickly. I can't stand long lasting pain" Frodo said. Shrell nodded and tightened her grip on the arrow. She counted to three and then shut her eyes and pulled the arrow out.

Frodo let out a cry of pain. Shrell put her hand over the wound and squeazed Frodo's, reasearingly, with her other. The pain seised after what seemed like ages. Frodo noticed Smeagol at the other side of the cave in just as much pain, as Sam tried to make him hold still.

The other arrow wasn't so painful, though the ontment Sam had made would make him feel as though his flesh was burning and Shrell had to hold his shoulders down to keep him from squirming. The did finally pass and they could eat a small and rather bland breakfast. Merry and Pippin were talking but everyone else was silent. 

Shrell didn't eat anything. She sat in the corner of the cave and watched the rain. Frodo walked over to her and placed her cloak over her shoulders. She smiled up at him.

"We hears someonesss coming!" cried Smeagol. The Hobbits sprang to their feet. There was indeed a sound of foot steps aproaching. They drew their weapons and waited as the foot steps grew louder.

Two figures appeared in the rain. Frodo's mouth fell open.

"Gandalf...Myrth?" he studdered. The two figures turned.

"Ah, so you are still alive" Myrth said with a smile.

"Oh, do come in" Sam said, montioning for them to enter. The two wizards entered the small cave, pleased to be out of the rain.

"How did you find us?" asked Pippin.

"A wizard had his ways"..........to be continued.


	25. Leaving Everything Behind

Gandalf and Myrth ate breakfast quickly and insisted they leave at once. Smeagol lead them up the rocks, all the while muttering to himself. Pippin was rather talkative himself.

"So, when will we get to Mt. Doom?" he asked cheerfully.

"Don't speak so lightly. Mt. Doom is very dangerous" Myrth replied.

"I just wanted to know" Pippin retorted.

"Soon....but these rocks are merely pebbles compared to the cliffs there" answered Myrth, without looking up.

"Oh...." Pippin said, falling silent.

"How's your back, Frodo?" asked Sam.

"Alright, I suppose" Frodo answered with a sigh. 

"Silence your tongues! The Orcs are close. Keep up and keep quiet" Gandalf ordered, turning to the Hobbits. They nodded and quickened their pace. There wasn't a path or even the slightest hint of a trail and all that lay in front of them was a maze of twisting rocks. They soon grew weary but Gandalf refused to let them rest, not even for lunch. Pippin soon began to stagger and even Myrth began to hunch over with weariness. Frodo too was very weary. He soon began to feel faint and could hardly keep his footing. He fell to his knees and found himself unable to stand. 

In an instant Shrell was infront of him. He knelt down and lifted his chin with her hand.

"Look at me, Frodo. We can't stop now, We must continue" she said, her eyes stern.

"Shrell, I..." Frodo found himself unable to finish.

"Stand up, be strong" Shrell whispered "We're all depending on you." Frodo stood, rapping one arm around Shrell's shoulder for balance. Gandalf lead them on for what seemed like hours. 

It was dark when they could finally rest. Frodo sat down among the rocks and fell asleep instantly as did the others, besides Shrell, who had decided to stand watch all night.

Frodo awoke when it was still dark. Shrell was sitting high up on one of the rocks. Frodo threw a small stone at her, which hit the rock with a clink. Shrell turned and looked down at him.

"Do you never sleep?" Frodo asked. Shrell smiled sadly but didn't answer. Frodo walked over to her and sat down on the rock.

" Is everything alright?" Frodo asked.

"Why?" Shrell turned to look at him.

"You've been rather quiet lately." 

Shrell shrugged, "It's nearing the end of our journey. I guess I just............" she hung her head and didn't continue, she tried to turn away.

"Shrell...." Frodo murmured, touching her shoulder.

Shrell bit her lip and Frodo saw tears fun down her cheeks. "What if......something happens to one of us, Frodo. I couldn't bear to see one of this lively group perish." Her shoulders began to shake as soft sobs escaped her lips. Frodo did not know what to say. What if someone did die? Frodo shook his head. Shrell was right, he wouldn't watch his friends die when their death wasn't necessary.

"That's why.........." Frodo paused and stood up, "I must go alone." Frodo jumped from the rock and began to walk away. He heard Shrell behind him and quickened his pace. He soon began to run, in hopes of escaping her. 

Suddenly, Frodo felt something hit the back of his head very hard. He fell to his knees. 

"Your not leaving me behind" came the voice of Shrell.

"Shrell, this was my burden to bear, I'm sorry I dragged you into this" he answered, not looking back her.

"Frodo, never once have I found meaning in my life. There was a time when I would have welcomed death. I wasn't far from giving up the day I met you, and here you are, the one who gave me reason to live, apologizing for doing so. Frodo, you can try to leave me behind but you'll be wasting your time." Her voice was strong and there wasn't a chance of her changing her mind. 

Frodo felt tears swell up in his eyes, then roll down his cheeks. He slowly stood up and turned to look back at her.

"Why does this mean so much to you?" he asked shakily.

"You need not a reason, It means enough for me to throw rocks at your head" Shrell answered. Frodo laughed, still choking back tears. He threw his arms around Shrell's neck and pulled into an embrace. She returned the embrace, resting her forehead, lightly, on the top of his head.

"Your as stubborn as Sam was" Frodo choked out.

"You mean Sam is!" came a voice from behind the rocks. "You think you could leave me behind as well?" 

"Samwise! How did-" Frodo started.

"I have my ways!" Sam shouted as he stumbled down the rock, approaching them. Shrell chuckled lightly at Sam's response.

"Let us continue, before the others awake" Frodo said, wiping the tears from his eyes. He and Sam started out at once. Shrell gave one last look back the way the came, thinking of all they had overcome.

"Good luck to you, Peregrin, Mariadoc, Strider, Arwen, Legolas, Gimli, Safarien, Gandalf, Myrth. May your way be less perilous than our" she whispered.

It hit Frodo, then, that they were truly leaving everything behind..........to be continued.


	26. Hold to your word, I'll be lost without ...

Frodo, Sam and Shrell continued for hours into the night, never stopping once. The moon was drifting out of the sky when the finally decided to rest. Sam dozed off at once, leaving Frodo and Shrell awake. Neither talked, but their minds were racing. Shrell took out her daggers, connected them, and began practicing her staff-fighting. Frodo stared up at the starless sky, in a daze. There was a black smoky haze about them, almost like a dense evil. Frodo's gaze shifted to Shrell. It seemed merely fate, when she turned and looked at him at the same time. Frodo smiled.

"Do you see that" he asked, pointing to the dense darkness. Shrell smiled sadly.

"I used to see it every night, when I inhabited the Northern Waste" she answered dreamily, sitting down beside him, "I was so weak....." she mused.

"Weak, Shrell? I have never seen your blade miss it's target, I am the weak one" Frodo answered, suddenly aware of his words and how true they seemed now. He always needed someone to protect him.

"Frodo, what convinced you that you were weak?" Shrell asked, her eyes narrowing.

"It's only too true, and you know it!" Frodo replied, turning away from her.

"Even if my blades never miss a target, you are the one who will pull through in the end" Shrell whispered, touching the side if his jaw and turning him towards her. "Only a fool would call you weak, Master Frodo."

Frodo felt his cheeks go cold. Could Shrell be right? Was he strong?

"My blades didn't always make their mark, such things take practice. Stand, Frodo Baggins" said Shrell, rising to her feet. Frodo did the same, grasping the handle of his sword. Shrell placed one of her swords in it's scabbard. "Shall we have a duel?" she questioned with a slight bow. Frodo chuckled and drew his sword.

"Ready when you are" he answered, then came towards her, there weapons clashing. Frodo swung at her head, which she just dodged in time, then blocked another one of his swinging blades. 

Frodo gave a few slashes and jabs at her but she was able to jump out of his reach, and just in time, too.

"Not fast enough, Frodo" she teased, "Try to predict my next move" she instructed. Frodo tried but was quite dismayed by the way she could block his every move, desperate to win, he made a plan. He quickly swung at her right side and she twisted to block it. Quickly drawing his blade back before the swords clashed, Frodo swung his blade at her left side. Before she could think, Frodo had made a long, bloody gouge down her left arm. She stumbled back.

Frodo felt his blood run cold. What had he done? Alarmed, he took a step forward. Shrell raised both her eyes brows as she looked down at the gouge. A smile crossed her lips.

"Impressive" she said, turning back to Frodo. Blood was dripped from her arm, drenching her cloak but she looked very pleased.

"Again?" Frodo inquired, smiling. Shell waved her hand slightly, in agreement. They fought as though it was a true battle. Shrell was all but easy on Frodo, and Frodo didn't hold back on Shrell. Even a passing Roc would have thought that it was a fight to the death. By the time they had finished, they were on the ground, both covered in blood, and laughing very hard. 

"I assure you, Frodo, your all but weak" Shrell laughed, leaning back against the rocks. 

"Your not bad yourself" he answered, giving her a little punch in the arm. There was a sound of a throat being cleared and Frodo and Shrell's eyes drifted to the rocks above. There was Sam staring down at them, his arms crossed and his foot tapping.

"A little late, is it not?" he asked, casually. Frodo and Shrell stuttered a few excuses as if they were little hobbits, before making themselves comfortable and dozing off.

"Shrell?" Frodo asked as he was about to drift off.

"Hmm?" Shrell replied, waiting for a question.

"What if are quest fails" he asked dreamily.

"It won't, I won't let it."

~~

"Will you get up!" cried an irritated Sam.

"Hmmm....What?" Frodo mumbled, sitting up. Sam was staring down at him.

"We have been trying to wake you for ages now!" Sam crossed his arm. Frodo stretched and looked around. Shrell was sitting on a rock, polishing her daggers.

"Sorry" Frodo replied, patting Sam on the shoulder, "We best be started right away."

They started out at once, Sam talking about how they had taken no food with them and they would surely starve, till it was engraved in their minds. Though all of them were hungry, they remained high spirited. Frodo was in a very cheerful mood. He walked backwards, as to face Sam and Shrell. He was singing rather loudly and the oddest of words to fit such a tune.

"Frodo, if I didn't know better, I would have thought you had a gallon of ale" laughed Sam.

"Careful, Master Frodo, You might wake the dead, or worse, the Orcs" Shrell said, slyly. Frodo stopped at this.

"Certainly" he replied, all cheerfulness fading from his expression. Shrell began to laugh.

"I didn't say you had to be dull" She said, taking Frodo's arm and spinning him around.

"Come on, Sam! Do keep up!" Frodo cried. Sam laughed and quickened his pace.

They traveled long into the night. All of them hungry but not wanting to say a word. There were cries in the distance of nameless beasts and Frodo couldn't help but look behind him every few paces, then start walking faster. He was nearly running when an arm block him and he stumbled back. It was Shrell. Her body leaning forward her head turned towards him. Her face was hooded and shadowed, making her look rather menacing and evil.

"Be still" she whispered. Sam stood behind them, he looked horrified. There was a sound of distant thumping and as time passed it grew louder and closer. 

"Orcs" Sam whispered in an alarmed tone.

"Sam, Frodo! Run!" Shrell whispered.

"No" Frodo furrowed his brow.

"This quest isn't going to end here. Run" Shrell repeated.

"Not without you!"

"It doesn't end here Frodo, but I can't risk your life!"

"Promise me you'll come back, Shrell" Frodo ordered, taking her hand.

"It shall be done" she said with a nod. Frodo turned, but hesitated. "Now!" 

"Shrell........" 

"Frodo, you have my word. Even in death I will return to you!"

"Never miss your mark. May your blades be fast and soul be strong" Frodo said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Never grow weary. May your feet be ever swift and hearts ever strong" Shrell replied, placing a hand on Frodo's shoulder and nodding to Sam. The shapes of Orcs appeared through the darkness. "Go!"

Frodo turned and ran, Sam just ahead of him. He saw Shrell charge against the army of Orcs, then disappear into the shadows. He turned away and pressed forward into the night.

'Hold to your word, Scholigrafa. I'll be lost without you'................to be continued.


	27. Dreams and Memories

A/N: ok, this is a really shot chapter and pretty pointless but I wanted to get another chapter up

~~

Frodo paced back and forth, trying to clear his thoughts. His surrounding were dark and he could hardly see Sam, who was sitting close by. Everything seemed dense dark and hopeless.

"Sam?" Frodo asked, suddenly.

"Yes, Mr. Frodo?" Sam looked up.

"Does she stand a chance?" 

Frodo's eyes looked so fearful that Sam could hardly respond. He slowly shook his head.

"I don't know, Frodo. I don't know...." he answered, grimly. Frodo bit down on his lip, and began to pace again, when Sam stopped him.

"She wouldn't want to see you like this" he said slowly. Frodo walked over and sat beside Sam.

"I can't help it. We're sitting here idle, while she fighting an army of Orcs and with no one to aid her" Frodo yelped, his eyes filling with tears.

"Your wrong, Frodo. She has the memories of you. Something to fight for. She won't let you down!" 

Sam placed a hand on Frodo's shoulder, firmly. Frodo smiled, sadly and embraced Sam, tears running down his cheeks.

"You should get some rest" Sam said softly. Frodo nodded though he did not wish to rest. He lay back against the rocks and slowly drifted into a dream filled sleep. 

His memory faded to when he just began to run from the Orcs. He remembered looking back at Shrell, watching her fling herself into battle. Frodo knew her chance at life was diminished, the thought pained him.

'Hold to your word, Sholigrafa. I'll be lost without you'

Darkness. Everything was gone. Frodo felt chilled to the bone. Then, another memory.

'Who are you?'

'Shrell of the Northern Waste'

'......Northern Waste.......'

'I shall not harm you. You needn't be afraid'

Frodo's thoughts changed again.

'It must have been painful. It pained me just to watch you sleep. You were in a cold sweet and looked so afraid and helpless. There was nothing that we could do for you and that thought pained me but it pained me even more to see you suffer...'

'What's wrong, Shrell?'

'We came so close to losing you. Durnal almost let you die and even when she did agree for help I wasn't sure if we could trust her. You barely breathed. Many a time I thought you were dead. You also developed a fever and-'

'I'm fin now, Shrell. Be still'

His thoughts shifted for a last time.

'Frodo, you have my word! Even in death I will return to you!'

Frodo awoke with a start. His eyes stung with tears.

"Come back to me, Shrell" he whispered............to be continued


	28. Nothing but an illusion to me and but an...

Frodo hardly slept the rest of the night. His thoughts all lead back to Shrell. What would happen to her? Frodo hardly noticed when the sun rose.

"We best depart soon" Sam said, wearily.

"What about Shrell?" Frodo looked sternly at Sam.

"What do you mean...."

"Well, We can't leave her behind-" Frodo started but Sam cut him off.

"She wouldn't have wanted us to stop." Sam said looking down, sadly.

"You speak as though she's already dead!" Frodo gasped, a look of horror in his eyes.

"I don't want to gave any false hope" Sam answered.

"You have! You said she had something to fight for and all along you were thinking that she was dead!" Frodo spat.

"It's an army of Orcs, Frodo...." Sam stuttered, keeping his voice low but filled with sadness.

"Stop it!" Frodo shrieked. He fell to is knees, sobbing softly. Sam slowly walked over to him.

"I'm sorry, Frodo" he said, shakily. "I..."

"No, I'm sorry, Sam. You have done nothing. It is time I face the truth" replied Frodo. He wiped the tears from his cheeks and stood. "Let us continue" he said, trying to keep his head high and look untouched.

"Lead on then, Frodo" Sam said with a sad nod. Frodo slowly started down the path, not daring to look back.

'Good bye, Shrell, ghost of the past, lost shadow, vanquished spirit. You are but an illusion to me now and will remain but an illusion. May your soul rest in peace.'

Sam and Frodo traveled long past nightfall but when the glow of pink eyes appeared through the darkness they stopped and tried to find a place to rest. Frodo fell into sleep at once but not a peaceful sleep. His mind was filled with dreams.

~Have you lost faith in me?

Must I seek you in dreams?

Life is an illusion, and death to break free.

I am one to know well, things are not what they seem.

Though you've said your good-byes, and said you don't care,

If you looked back, would I have been there?~

Frodo awoke in a panic, cold sweat collecting on his brow. His eyes were blurred with tears.

"Leave me be! You are gone! Dead! Do not make me suffer more than I can bear! You have caused me enough pain!" Frodo screamed up at the heavens, rain soaking him through. His head slowly fell into his hands. "You were wrong!" he sobbed, "I am nothing more than a weak fool! I needed you........" Frodo fell into uncontrollable sobs. A picture of Shrell stayed so clear in his mind. She was almost in front of him.

~I will return to you, even in death. Do not lose hope~

Frodo tried to blocked the thoughts out of his mind but could not find a peaceful sleep, only dreams and memories.

~~

"Frodo? Mr. Frodo, wake up." 

Sam shook Frodo, lightly. Frodo opened one tired eye. It was rather dim. The sun was just peeking over the tops of mountains.

"Shall we get an early start?" Sam said, trying to be cheerful but all Frodo could see was sorrow and pity.

"Yes, thank you, Sam" Frodo answered, getting to his feet.

They trudged along, thinking of the times ahead, trying to forget the past. Sam suddenly stopped, his eyes turned downward.

"I am too far from home. This journey has caused nothing but misery. I would give my life to be back with Rosie and Eleanor, just for one day" he whispered, tears rolling down his cheeks.

"We must remain strong, Sam, for those we have lost"

Frodo found the words strangely familiar. He stared at the ground.

'To shed a tear is not to be weak, Shrell'

Frodo shook his head. 

"What do you mean, Frodo?" Sam asked, looking up at him.

"I...I don't know....."

To be continued...........

A/N: Ok, I would REALLY like reviews. please please review! Oh yes, very sorry for being so mean to Frodo. I know he doesn't deserve it.


	29. You still linger in my mind

Long days passed and still all that lay ahead of Sam and Frodo were mazes of sharp rocks. The small dripping creatures with pink eyes followed them by night, as if foreseeing their death. Frodo often found himself listening to their chirps and growls as he walked along the giant cliffs, the sound was no source of fear but still seemed to be foreboding. They never came too close to Sam or Frodo, not within a yard at least, simply watching from the rocks, their head tilted.

"Frodo, let us stop. I cannot travel one more day without rest" Sam moaned, his back hunched over with weariness. Frodo sighed. They had traveled two days and a night without rest. He couldn't push Sam any further, it wouldn't be fair. 

Frodo nodded and scanned the area for flat rocks. Finding only jagged cliffs, they tried to make themselves comfortable against the sharp rocks. Sam fell asleep quickly but Frodo was wakeful. He listened to the chirping of the dripping creatures until they too slept. Frodo gazed up at the stars. Slowly, he began to hum. The song he recognized as once Shrell had played on her flute. It was a slow, sad song. The lingering tune hung in Frodo's mind like an eerie dream. He slowly lost track of his thoughts, wakefully dreaming. He closed his eyes listening to his voice......Shrell's voice.......the winded sound of a now broken flute.....Shrell's flute. A pair of crystal blue eyes, caught silver in starlight, reflected in his mind.

Frodo sat up. He glanced back and forth, expecting to see something but all that lay in front of him was darkness.

"I wonder if you know I miss you" Frodo sighed, his eyes raising back up to the stars. He bit his lip, trying not to think about her.

Suddenly there was the sound of a loose rock bouncing down the cliffs. Frodo jumped to his feet and whirled around. Nothing. Knitting his brow, he approached the sound.

"Who's there?" he whispered. Nothing.

Frodo continued towards the sound, hand wrapped tightly around his sword. The sound of the echoing rock, bouncing over the jagged cliffs faded and Frodo was left standing in darkness. He released his sword, his head hung.Suddenly, there was the sound of footsteps behind him. He could hear a soft breathing. It grew closer.

Frodo felt the hair on the back of his neck rise. The breathing became more of a hiss as it grew closer. Frodo's hand silently grasped his sword. He could now feel the breaths on the back of his neck. His grip tightened on his sword. He heard the hissing grow louder.

Frodo quickly swung around, his sword pointed at the noise. 

"Aah! Don't hurtss us, precious, no!" came a hiss from a slimy creature on the ground. Frodo sheathed his sword.

"Smeagol, what are you doing here!?" demanded Frodo, very much surprised.

"We didn't means anythings by it, precious, we wanted to follow the master" hissed Smeagol.

"How did you find me?" asked Frodo.

"We follows the master's smell, we did!" cried a proud Smeagol. Frodo was left wishing he didn't ask. "Now, what happened to that weird little hobbit with the dark capessss?" He hissed, his eyes glowing.

"She's....." Frodo paused, unable to finish.

"What-s-ssss?" asked Smeagol.

"She's....gone..." Frodo turned away, tears rolling down his cheeks.

"Well, it did leaves-s us all behind-" started Smeagol.

"No, you don't understand! She's dead!" Frodo yelled as he turned around, his eyes filled with tears. "She tried to battle off a whole army of Orcs..." Frodo paused, his brow furrowed, a horrified look on his face "but you were right......I did leave her behind...It's my fault she's dead..."

Smeagol was speechless. He stood staring at Frodo, his pale yellow eyes glowing. 

"We didn't get much rest-s-s-s-sss. We.....wants to sleep..." he stuttered, then turned and left.

Frodo hung his head. 'Why did I let you fight them....' he thought.

"It's impossible to return to me if you are dead! You were wrong!" Frodo shouted up at the stars. He slowly fell to his knees, his head in his hands. 'Why did I let you fight them...'

To be continued.....

~~

A/N: Yup, Gollum did have pale yellow eyes in the book. Oh and I would very much like reviews :)


	30. Aquarius, a star of hope

Frodo spent the rest of the night staring up at the starlit sky. He was deep in his thoughts and only aroused by the sound of an occasional hiss from the sleeping Gollum. He watched the stars fade but there was no sign of the sun and the air was dark and grim. The dark creatures slowly began to stir and open their neon pink eyes. They hopped around the rocks, searching for some kind of dead corps which would serve as food but found nothing.

Smeagol was the next to wake. He slowly got to his feet. His eyes scanned the rocks, a thin, snake-like tongue slipping over his lips as his eye caught on one of the smallest dark creatures. He skillfully approached it from behind, his eyes glowing. As the creature was about to hop to another rock Smeagol leapt at it. The other creatures scattered, leave the small one with a pair of slimy fingers tight around it's neck. It let out a painful cry, much like the sound of a fallen bird. Smeagol twisted his fingers tighter. Soon the small creature's cries began to fade till they were merely gasps. Frodo could take it no longer.

"Stop it!" he cried. Smeagol dropped the creature one side of his nose scrunched up in fury.

"The master wishes-s-s-s to starvess-s us, it does" he growled. 

Frodo didn't listen, he approached the small creature and knelt beside it. It slowly regained it's feet giving Frodo a small hiss but collapsed again. Frodo smiled sadly. He picked up the creature. It was hardly bigger than his hand. 

At that moment Sam awoke. He stumbled over to Frodo, barely awake. Spotting the creature, he snapped out of all his weariness.

"What are you doing!?" he stammered.

"Depriving us-s-s of breakfast" spat Smeagol. Sam ignored Smeagol.

"That thing could be dangerous!" he cried, approaching Frodo.

"Sam, look at it" Frodo said, his eyes pleading. Frodo outstretched his hand. Sam slowly drew his hand closer to the creature, his fingers trembling. The small injured creature jolted up and bit Sam hard on his finger.

"Like I said, get rid of it!" Sam repeated, drawing his finger back and back and rubbing it.

"Sam....." Frodo begged, much like the little hobbit's did back in the Shire. The creature sat and looked at Sam, innocently.

"No....It doesn't look cute...I'm not falling for that" Sam growled, turned away. He began to walk away when it gave a little chirp. Sam slowly looked back at the creature in defeat. "Ok! You win! Keep it!" he cried. The creature seemed to be gloating at Sam, it's eyes had a devilish gleam to them. "Stop it!" Sam cried, and turned away. Frodo smiled, the first smile in a long time.

"Your name shall be Aquarius. A star seen when the night sky is alit at it's fullest" he mused. The little creature chirped in agreement and Frodo glanced down at it and chuckled.

They set out no more than an hour later, not talking much. Aquarius was pirched on Frodo's shoulder, staring down at an annoyed Smeagol. 

They traveled for days, hardly stopping. The only food was what they found which usually consisted of a berry or perhaps a root. Water was also scarce. They had to collect it with Sam's pots when it rained. The rocks also grew to be steeper and sharper. The thought of falling was enough to make one's feet hold in place and not move an inch. 

As weeks passed the distant sounds of Orcs could often be heard, leaving them cold and Frodo with a clear memory of Shrell, which he would always block out of his mind.

~~

It was a dark night. The stars were out of sight. The darkness was at it's thickest and there was not a sign of the moon. Frodo lay on his back, watching the endless sky, listening to the menacing cries of Orcs, yet not a thought crossing his mind. He slowly rose to his feet, glancing at Sam. He was deep in sleep. 

Frodo turned and walked slowly across the rocks, his eyes focussed on the endless darkness in front of him. Suddenly, he heard a small chirp from behind him. Turning, his eyes caught Aquarius. The little creature cocked it's head and stared at him, it's pink eyes unblinking. 

"Sleep, Aquarius. I shall return" Frodo murmured. The creature returned to the others, glancing back at Frodo as if to say goodnight.

Frodo continued to walk into darkness. The cries of Orcs were so near yet the sound only drew him closer. He could not see more then an inch in front of him, due to the thickness of the night but some how he seemed not to need his eyes. No stone got in his way, no branch in his path, almost as if his eyes no longer served him.

He walked for what seemed like miles. His feet hurt, his legs ached, and his breath was caught in his chest but weariness was not what stopped him. The strange and sudden feeling of being watched was what caused Frodo to stop in his tracks. His hand slipped to his sword. His eyes slowly glanced to his right.... nothing. 

Frodo closed his eyes for a split second, regaining his will, then his eyes slowly glanced to his left. His grip on the sword tightened.

Among the rocks was a pair of yellow eyes, caught in Frodo's gaze. Their sharp glare reflecting all that was evil......a Uruk-Hai.

Without further thought, Frodo drew his sword. The Uruk-Hai gave a cry of rage then charged at him, it's giant, curved blade ready. 

Frodo's feet held steady, though his mind was racing. The Uruk-Hai grew closer, followed by an army of Orcs. 

Frodo brought up his sword and blocked the beast's first blow and dodged the next attack. He drove his sword through another Orc's stomach and jabbed another through the heart. The Orcs hardly had a chance to swing their blades before Frodo had run them through with his sword. Black Orc blood stained the ground and the smell of death filled the night air. Soon, Only Frodo and the Uruk-Hai stood. Their eyes focused on the other. Rage burning in their gazes. 

With a cry of rage the Uruk-Hai attacked, it's teeth bared, it's eyes gleaming. Frodo lifted his blade as the beast came closer. Their blades clashed. Frodo recovered from the blow and swung his blade at the Uruk-Hai, but to his dismay, was blocked. 

Frodo dodged, blocked, and swung. His arms were weary and his body beaten by the countless blows from the Uruk-Hai. He swung again. Blocked. Again. Blocked. The Uruk-Hai brought the handle of his blade down on Frodo, knocking him to his knees. The beast smirked and grabbed him by the next, lifting him off the ground. It shoved Frodo backwards, so he was now being held against a tree.

Frodo's mind began to race but he was powerless. The Uruk-Hai drew his sword back, ready to drive it through Frodo. 

The helpless hobbit glanced up at the stars. He had once been the queer hobbit who dreamed of adventures and battles, the hobbit who spent his youth pretending he was off slaying dragons with Dwarves and Elves. All of Middle-Earth depending on him......but now....now that his dream of an adventure had come all too true, all he wanted was to be back at the Shire as though nothing had happened. He wished it could all be undone. 

A single tear escaped Frodo's eye and rolled down his cheek. 'It's all over......'

Suddenly, Frodo's thoughts were broken by a gasp from the Uruk-Hai. It's eyes widened, blood pouring from it's trembling lips. The menacing yellow eyes rolled back in it's head and it's eyelids fluttered shut. It staggered then fell at Frodo's feet......dead.

Frodo stared down at it in amazement and confusion. His eyes scanned the body, stopping at it's back. Right under each shoulder blade there was a deep gouge. Frodo's gaze slowly lifted, catching the shadowy form of a figure, sword in each hand, face hooded. 

It's head slowly lifted to the sky, as did Frodo's. To his amazement, one star now glimmered among darkness. His gaze again dropped to the shadowy figure. 

A sudden pain pierced Frodo's heart. The same shining star was now reflecting in a pair of crystal eyes. The figure's head dropped, slowly looking over the countless Orcs. Frodo gazed at the ground.

"Even in death....." the figure murmured. Frodo's head shot up.

"No....." he stuttered, "No...Your dead...."

The figure pushed back it's hood. "I am not easily broken, nor are my promises."

Frodo's hands began to tremble, his eyes filling with tears. He slowly approached to figure, falling to his knees a few feet away. It approached him and knelt in front of him.

"I would never break my word to you, Ring bearer" it said, sternly.

"I...I...thought you were were gone. My sleep was filled with dreams and memories, my mind was lost....I..I missed you too much, Shrell" Frodo stammered. Shrell took Frodo's hand.

"I am no illusion, now. That I can promise you."

Frodo's head fell onto her shoulder, soft sobs escaping his lips. Shrell placed a hand on the back of Frodo's head, reassuringly. When Frodo drew back, Shrell's eyes, too, were flooded with tears.

"How did you find me?" Frodo whispered.

"I followed a star, one that glimmered in the sky, even when all stars were shadowed. Aquarius, a star of hope."

Frodo gazed up at the sky and smiled. Fate always seemed so strong.........to be continued.


	31. Not a chapter...sorry

Aquarius is a constellation...isn't it. X.X;;;

Oh Well, I'm not changing my story, even if it is incorrect. So I'm very sorry about that.

I'd also like to apologize for the many spelling mistakes. I can't spell right when I'm tired and I usually write at night.

To think once I wrote "Elvis" in stead of "Elvish" !! *bangs head on keyboard* stupid! Stupid.

Thank you to all of my reviewers. It's very sweet of you to take the time to read my story. You guys are the the best.

Special thanks to Sweettooth157 for so many reviews and all the support.

Errrrr......now I feel like I'm doing the credits or something....~.~;;

Any way, I'll continue soon,

Thaelos


	32. The mind of dreams and reality

As the sky continued to blacken yet one star stayed lit a shine, a tired Frodo fell into sleep. His mind was dreamless, his sleep heavy. He did not keep track of any time and new not how long he slept when day came. It was still desolately dark and the sound of unknown critters could be heard from the trees above.

"....Where am I?....." Frodo murmured. He looked around. The rocks were the only things that stayed in his mind nothing else he could remember, then slowly his thoughts drifted back to Shrell. He let out a deep breath. 'Yes, now I remember.'

Frodo stood and gazed through the darkness. The bodies of the Orcs were no where in sight and the Uruk-Hai was not where it had lay. Frodo looked at the ground.

"No....."

The pink eyed creatures watched him from their high perches in the gnarled trees. They chirped and screeched as if observing him. 

"No....it couldn't have been dreaming.....it was too real"

He gazed over the ground again......it was a dream.

Frodo sunk to the ground. 'Why?' 

His eyes blurred with tears. Again his mind brought him pain, again his dreams brought back something that was lost.

Rising to his feet, Frodo pressed aimlessly into the darkness. The wind stung his face and blew his tears from his cheeks. Rain soaked him through. Thunder clapped in the darkness and lightning flashed in the starless sky. 

Frodo pressed on, not knowing where he was or where he was going.It did not matter to him. The ring held no place in his thoughts, he did not remember his mission to destroy it nor would it have mattered now. 

His feet lead one after another across the slippery rock which became cliffs. He soon had no choice but to scale the high rock cliff. His hands held tightly to whatever grip he could find. His arms began to ache, his legs were limp, and he felt faint. Still he climbed higher without reason or cause. He hands were wet and bloody his clothing was torn and the winds grew stronger. 

There was another clap of thunder and lightning again crossed the darkened sky. Frodo's hand slipped off the rock he had been grasping. He hung from his other hand, his feet dangling below him. Two pebbles slipped from the rocks above and clinked down the huge cliff, reminding Frodo of how high he was. 

Lightning flashed again, this time closer. Frodo could feel his hand slipping. He pulled his other hand back up to the grip and pulled himself up. Pressing himself to the rocks, Frodo gasped for breath. 

As another clap of thunder sounded in the air, Frodo pulled his other hand to a higher hand hold, ignoring the pain from the rocks that dug deep into his skin.

Lightning flashed.

Frodo again lost his footing, sliding down the cliff till he caught his hand on a jagged rock. 

Again the lightning crossed the sky, closer.

Frodo felt himself slipping. 

Thunder clapped, loudly. The lightnimg again struck, this time it only seemed a few feet above him.

Frodo slipped. 

He felt himself plunging towards the ground. The wind whispered around him.

'Frodo.....'

'Frodo...'

'Frodo...'

"Frodo"

Frodo shot up, his eyes wide and filled with tears. He found himself staring strait into a pair of blue eyes. He recognized them immediately.

"Are you alright?" asked Shrell, her brow furrowed.

"I...." Frodo did not finish, he flung his arms around her tightly. 

Shrell smiled sadly.

"Your mind must separate reality from dreams. That was a dream, do not fear it" She whispered into his ear.

"What if I should awaken now to find myself at the bottom of that cliff" Frodo answered.

"Perhaps your dreams are too close to reality. Do not ignore them" Shrell pulled back from Frodo.

"I fear them" Frodo hung his head.

"Do not, even if death comes for you in dreams, I shall not let it take you in reality".....to be continued.


	33. Promise to never be weak

The day was as dark as night yet the air had a heavy humidity about it that hung like a think blanket. Frodo and Shrell had started back to look for Sam and the others. Frodo had told Shrell of Aquarius and that Smeagol had found them. She listened quite intently to Frodo's every word and seemed to like the thought of the small, black creature who seemed to understand one's every word. 

Soon both hobbits fell silent.They trudged along slowly, Frodo just ahead of Shrell. Sometimes there was a scuffling sound from behind the rocks and if they looked closely they could see a shadow of an unknown beast crawl away. Frodo could hardly keep his mind focused on taking one step then another, his mind was racing. Unable to stand the silence, he spoke.

"What if our quest fails?" 

Frodo turned to Shrell. She gave a sort of side ways shrug.

"Just think of all the things we've worked for and how quickly they could be gone" Frodo continued, he looked as though he wanted to let it all go and give up.

"Hmm" Shrell grunted in response, hardly looking at him.

"Why are we even continuing, it could never work." Frodo let his shoulders fall as he hung in a defeated way. Shrell did not respond. She continued up a rock in an aloof way, her back turned as if everything were irrelevant.

"Damn it, Shrell! Are you even listening to me?" Frodo spat. Shrell spun around, her face hooded but visible.

"I hardly wish to listen to what you are saying now" She responded, her voice cold.

"Why don't you just listen to me for a minute, it might give you something to think about, rather then what you conjure up in that desolate and grim mind you have. Your complexion is as dark as your cloak!" Frodo hissed in return.

"Perhaps you should watch your tongue! I have not wronged you, I have only blocked out what I did not need to hear. We all have our doubts Frodo but giving in will solve nothing. I'm sure if Sam were in danger and you stood no chance of saving him I believe you would still try. Well, now all of Middle-Earth is in danger, you might not stand a chance but will you let it fall without a fight, Give up when defeat has not yet reached you? You are strong, Frodo, though you may not realize it. I will listen to any advice but I will not listen to cries of defeat, your's at the least. We have a journey to complete so I suggest you straiten up." 

Shrell turned away and continued over the rocks but Frodo stuck fast to where his feet were placed. His mind repeated Shrell's every word.

"I'm sorry" Frodo whispered.

"We all have our burdens to bear, everyone does. Some small, some great, but each just as difficult for the one who carries it bear. This is what makes you so strong. Such a small creature with such a great burden to bear. You are strong, stronger than I could ever be."

"I will no longer crush faith, never again. I will remain strong, I promise. I will not doubt our quest again" Frodo murmured, drawing himself up.

"Those are strong words and ones hard to follow. I admire that" She answered, placing a cold hand on his shoulder and giving him a soft smile.

"You have shown greater strength. My vow is not nearly as hard to follow as a promise to live, a promise to return."

"A promise is of spoken words. To keep that promise is great strength, no matter how small it seems."

~~

As the dark morning turned into a dark afternoon, Frodo reached the camp site. Sam was still there, his knees hugged to his chest as he sat on the rocks. Smeagol was chasing Aquarius, though he couldn't catch the little beast. Sam watched them with a sad smile, a tear rolling down his cheek. 

Frodo ran towards them.

"Samwise!" he called.

"Mr. Frodo!" Sam called, over joyed as he ran towards Frodo and embraced him.

Shrell smiled as she walked towards them. Sam let go of Frodo and saw her.

"Your alive!" he gasped.

"You didn't believe I died, Samwise?"

Sam ran towards her, lifted her off her feet and spun her around. Frodo burst into laughter as he watched Shrell's eyes get wider.

"Put me down this instant, Samwise!" she shouted, closing her eyes as to not see the spinning scenery. Sam smiled and set her on her feet.

"Don't ever try that again....or...I'll have to do the same to you" Shrell stuttered, at a loss for words.

"Now that is quite hard to picture" Frodo laughed.

"Watch your mouth or I'll be spinning you both around" 

~~

They spent the day traveling, not many words shared. The rocks grew steeper and the weather cooler. By night they had reached a high view that looked out over the bare land below. They stopped there unable to travel any further.

Shrell was the only one on her feet, her hood over her face as she looked over the landscape.

Frodo stood and placed a hand on her shoulder. He felt her touch his hand lightly.

"I didn't dare look back....." she murmured.

"What were you afraid to see?" Frodo asked in a whisper.

"See? I was not afraid of anything I would see. I was afraid of what I would feel."

"You fear of whom we left behind?"

"I could not live with myself if something happened to Pippin or Merry...."

"They are not in your hands."

Frodo looked over the dead lands as well, a song came to his lips which he hummed softly. Shrell turned to him, recognizing her song. She let her head fall on his shoulder as he hummed softly.

'They are not in your hands'

To be continued.


	34. Poison

The night blew in harsh winds that whipped among the rocks making an eerie whistling sound. Frodo and Sam sat below the rocks, Sam deep within sleep. Shell had positioned herself on a high rock, still looking back over the dead lands. Frodo saw her swallow and turn away from the dark terrace, her eyes closed. He found himself stumbling up the rocks till he reached her.

"May I join you?" Frodo whispered.

"If you wish" she choked in response. Frodo furrowed his brow and sat beside her.

"What's wrong?" he finally asked, after what seemed like ages of silence between them. Shrell swallowed again.

"For a moment in time I could hear laughter. It was almost around me. For a fragment in space I could see our companions. They were almost right in from of me. But that glitch in reality is gone and all I see now is the dead land around me and all I hear" She paused, almost instinctively letting Frodo listen to the wind, "Is the voices in the cold night wind, consuming my thoughts.....an unforgivingness in the cold words spoken to the ones who listen, the ones who hear."

Frodo was unable to reply. Another gust of wind whipped by him, almost spiraling around his head before whipping off to the lands below, yet he heard nothing.

"What do they speak of?" Frodo asked.

"Listen..." Shell answered, placing a finger to his lips. Frodo sat silent, his mind drifting. Another surge of wind entwined them. This time he heard a sharp whispering voice swirling around him.

~No lives lie here,

No future will come.

Death crawls near.

All past shall come undone.

Smell it upon the air,

An evil close but unseen.

Sent from the depths of despair,

to cloud reality with dream.

Fangs sharp as blades,

as sword piercing skin.

It's work is finished, evil no longer stays.

but poison now dwelth within~

The words faded and Frodo was left unable to utter a word.

"You heard them" Shrell whispered, dazed.

"Will you not rest?" Frodo changed the subject.

"They speak to me of evil, of poison...death. They tell me to be wary and to never stray too far from existence of friendship, for if I stray, I stray to my doom. Such thoughts do not let one sleep an undreaming sleep."

"Then dream, I shall not let your mind stray from me" Frodo placed a hand on her shoulder. "Rest"

~~

Night passed slowly and Frodo stayed awake. He watched Shrell and Sam closely, who soon began to stir and Frodo decided to travel the rest of the night. Their pace was slow, almost as if they were dragging a heavy weight, yet in truth a heavier weight then any human strength could lift rested upon their shoulders.

No sun met the horizon, leaving no sign if it were nigh or day. They travels for days, to their best calculations, stopping to rest for about eight hours when sleep was needed. Frodo could not make the voices in the wind stop whispering and his sleep was always troubled. 

The companions grew more tired as the days pressed on.

"Mr. Frodo, when will we rest" asked a weary Samwise.

"Press further, we shall rest soon" came a monotonous answer from Frodo.

The trudged further, barely able to carry themselves. Frodo was about to fall into dreams when a sudden noise aroused him. It was a low hissing noise. He spun around to see a grim shadow creep behind the rocks and disappear. Frodo shook his head and kept going. 

The air began to feel thicker as the walked further, as if they were breathing under a blanket. The dull fog in the air hung like an eerie barrow-Wright among them, watching them. There seemed to be eyes upon them. 

Frodo again felt sleep nag at him but a sudden hiss awakened him. This time Shrell heard it too. She narrowed her eyes.

"I'll see what it is" she offered. Frodo was about to stop her when she disappeared in to the fog. He decided to let her go. 

There was a sudden cry of a beast from her direction then a hiss. The silence again took over and there was nothing. Frodo was about to go after Shrell when there was a blood-curtailing cry and she immerged from the fog.

"What was it?" asked Sam.

"Nothing" Shrell replied, motioning for Frodo to lead them on.

The rocks were quite easy to ramble over at this point, they were long and flat surfaced. Frodo scrambled along, Sam right beside him. They hopped over out of place stones and scrambled over the flat boulders with much ease. Smeagol was of course the fastest and seemed very pleased with himself until Aquarius darted infront of him.

Frodo motioned to Sam to find a good place to rest and Smeagol followed, Aquarius just ahead.

Frodo heard a sudden gasp from behind him. He spun around to see Shrell, sunken to her knees and taking in shaky breaths. He rushed to her side.

"What has happened to you" he cried. All life seemed drained from her face. Her skin had become pale and cold. 

"I cannot take another step" she gasped. Frodo's memory flashed.

"What happened when you left us to see what lurked behind those rocks" Frodo asked, lifting her pale chin.

"There was a creature, tall. It's legs twice the size of me. It's eyes were so emotionless. It was what seemed like a giant spider. I tried to fight it but before victory had came to me, it sunk it's fangs into my shoulder" she replied, between gasps. 

Frodo remembered a spider. Cold, wicked, giant.....Shelob.

"I...I..." Shrell tried to speak but her words were cut off by gasps and groans, then she collapsed. 

"No!" Frodo cried. He tore her cloak from her shoulder, revealing two deep gouges. Frodo placed his lips over the wounds and sucked the blood from them, spitting it to his side. 

Shrell did not move, her body slumped on Frodo.

"No, I can't loose you!" he cried, hot tears boiling down his cheeks. He tried in vain to awaken her till every part of him ached with sorrow. "Come back..." he pleaded, softly.

"Mr. Frodo I-" came the voice of Sam but he stropped as Frodo turned his head towards him, tears pouring from his eyes, the unmoving body of a hobbit in his arms.

.....to be continued.....

Please! Reviews! Please!


	35. Waiting for Evil

"It was that damn beast, I tell you! Shelob!" Frodo yelled as he paced back and forth, Sam sitting on one of the flat rock. Aquarius was next to Sam, unaware of what was going on but not as cheerful as usually. Smeagol approached the body, muttering and began poking at it slightly and sniffing it.

"Don't touch her!" Frodo snapped. Smeagol scrunched his nose and stood back a few feet.

"Nasty promise-breaker deserved it, right preciousss, yes it did..." he mumbled. Frodo over heard and leapt at Smeagol.

"Don't you ever say anything of the sort again, creature! She deserved nothing of this sort!" Frodo growled, grabbing Smeagol by the neck and shaking him. Sam stood up and ran to his side, prying Frodo fingers from Smeagol's neck.

"Calm down, Mr. Frodo!" Sam ordered, holding his shoulders firmly. Frodo's growls of rage subsided into shaky breaths.

"How many times must I lose her?" he whispered. Sam did not respond. His eyes drifted as though recalling something.

"Mr. Frodo.." Sam started slowly, "She may not be lost..."

Frodo turned to Sam, hopefully, his eyes pleading.

"Shelob is a wretched beast but not a beast of death. Her poison does not kill, only stun..." Sam kept his voice low, hoping that his words were correct. Frodo let out a long sigh and turn to Shrell, who's hands were beginning to shake. 

Frodo rushed to her side and knelt beside her, his brow furrowed. Shrell's finger nails clicked against the stone with the motion of her shivering hands. Smiling sadly, Frodo took one of them in his own and slowly stroked it. Soon her eyes fluttered open and she shot up, still shaking. Her eyes darted back and forth before she looked at the ground and bit her lip. She slowly drew her hand away from Frodo's, still staring at the ground.

"I smell death upon the air" she murmured, dazed, her eyes half closed.

"Shrell?" Frodo whispered, as though asking if it really was her. He turned her head with his hand. Her eyes widened.

"Frodo.." she gasped, as though she had not realized his presence before. She cleared her throat and calmed herself, again taking on the untouched look in her eyes."I am sorry" she said, her lips tight. She stood and looked around. "I do believe we should continue" she offered, cocking her head as she looked at Frodo, who nodded in a confused way. With that she started off at a steady pace, Aquarius just behind her. 

Frodo looked at Sam, as if he needed an answer to an unasked question, but Sam only shrugged and strolled after Smeagol, who was waddling along in a non-to-happy way.

"Sam?" Frodo whispered, after a long period of silence.

"Yes?" Sam answered, turning to Frodo.

"Um....Never mind" Frodo shook his head. Sam frowned and looked at Shrell.

"So what is, Frodo?" He asked, guessing it had to do with Shrell.

"Well...I guess I expected a bit more out of her when the poison wore off. She just acted rather...queer" Frodo shrugged.

"Well, you never know how she's going to act, well, at least as well as I've gotten to know her. I'd say she was queer from the start" Sam said.

"I guess your right" Frodo sighed, realizing how attached he had gotten to Shrell's 'queerness'.

~~

They traveled till night fall deciding rest was needed, they sat among the rocks Smeagol Sam and Aquarius in sleep, Shrell standing watch and Frodo unable to sleep. He watched Shrell sitting on the ground, her lips tight as she hummed softly. He could almost sense how much she wished she had her flute. He walked up and stood beside her.

"Are you tired?" he asked, unable to think anything else to ask.

"No" she answered quickly, avoiding his eyes.

"Shrell?" Frodo questioned, peering down at her.

"Yes?" she answered sharply.

"Why are you acting this way?" Frodo asked, sitting down beside her.

"I..How?" she stammered. "In what way?"

"Aloof and cold..." 

Frodo gazed across the dark sky.

"I'm sorry" she answered, taking a deep breath.

"Why?" Frodo repeated. Shrell sighed as if she wished that he didn't ask.

"When I saw that creature...the spider, I was engulfed in fear. I was never so afraid of losing my life. I hated the feeling and the thought of backing down.....I did not face the creature...I ran from it....But it's fangs found me anyway, but I was able to stab it's leg before running back to you..." Her face looked so confused as she said this and yet rage and sadness burned in her eyes. "I did not defeat the creature, it defeated me.." Shrell hung her head.

"You can't win every battle" Frodo sighed, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You will face such fear again and you will be forced the same choice. Fear will always be forced upon us, do not crush yourself for letting it get to you."

Shrell looked at him and smiled.

"I'm sorry. I have been so cold to you, Frodo. All these many times you've been there for me and I have not been thankful" Shrell said. "Thank you."

Frodo smiled as he watched her slowly fall asleep. "No, I believe it was you who was always there for me" he whispered, knowing that she couldn't hear him.

~~

"Wake up, Frodo!" came the alarmed voice of Sam.

"What? What's going on?" Frodo stammered, sitting up. He quickly looked around. Everyone else was up. Smeagol and Shrell stiff as their eyes cast back over the path behind them, their eyes reflecting a hidden fear. Aquarius was quickly darting back and forth, nose to the air as if a fowl smell hung amongst them. Frodo knew something was wrong.

"Get your weapons, Frodo" Shrell ordered, her voice low. Frodo did so. Shrell tossed Smeagol her other dagger, holding one firm in her grip. Sam had his sword at the ready as well.

"Their Coming-s-s-s"

......To be continued.


	36. The Bravery of a Gamgee

The wind seemed to grow sharp as the companions stood on the rocks, knowing the evil approaching. Frodo heard nothing but he could feel something was wrong and by the looks of it, so could his companions. For what seemed like a fragment in time there was a thick drawn silence as they stood unmoving, then from what seemed only too close came a piercing cry. Frodo felt a lump grow in his throat as another screech sounded in reply. The cries grew louder but it was uncertain to their direction for some seemed to sound from behind the companions and some from in front.

"They've surrounded us" Frodo murmured, fear in his voice.

From behind the rocks appeared a figure. Tall, dark, and hooded. A sword was clasped tightly in the iron-plated hand of the creature and slowly it raised the sword and sounded another cry. From the other side of the companions rose another figure, then another, and another, till nine hooded beasts stood poised with their swords high.

"Run Aquarius" whispered Shrell. The small creature stared back at Shrell and then slowly stepped back. "Run" Shrell whispered again. Slowly it turned then scampered off, just missing the dark figure's plated boot.

The dark riders approached them, causing the four to draw backwards till they were back to back.

"I...uh...Well, if it ends here...well, what I mean is, I really enjoyed this" stifled Sam.

"I as well, Sam" Frodo replied. "Shrell I-"

"Stop it you fools" Shrell spat, "You may be intent on dying here but I am certainly not! Don't say your good-byes to me!"

Even in all the danger, Shrell's words brought a smile to Frodo's lips.The riders each took a step forward, all perfectly synchronized as they moved across the rock, slowly enclosing on the four companions. Gliding their blades back so their points were only inches away from the four, they stopped as if waiting for the hobbits to make the first move.

"To the death" whispered Sam, then he let out a cry and flung his blade against two of the rider's.

Shrell gave Frodo a sad smile then she too flung herself against the creatures. Smeagol dove into battle without a word. Frodo took in a deep breath and hurled himself towards the remaining riders, clashing his swords against theirs.

Frodo was no match for the two riders and he had no idea how Smeagol was managing to fight off three. Another blade swung at him, gashing his shoulder. Grimacing, he tried to drive his sword through one of the riders, but it was to no avail and the creature blocked the thrust with ease. The two blades hurled towards him in another attack and Frodo only raised his sword just in time to save his head. The power of the small sword withholding the two giant blades sent sparks through the night air and the force of the riders nearly sent him to the ground. Bring down his sword and dodging to the right, he thrust the blade into the nearest rider. Ripping the weapon back out and revealing a tattered hole where the blade had been driven, Frodo stumbled back realizing that it had hardly effected the rider.

"They're lifeless! No mortal weapon will defeat them, Frodo!" Shell shouted, ducking under one of the blades. Frodo watched her for an instant as the rider drove her to the edge of a cliff. Soon she was staggering as loose rocks crumbled beneath her feet. Leaping away from the falling rocks and avoiding the riders blade, she jumped behind the Nazgul and gave it a hard blow in the back with her blade, sending the creature falling depths into the darkness until it altogether faded. Shrell then turned and attacked another of the hooded beast.

Smeagol was in a frenzy of biting and slashing, blood dripping across his wounded forehead. Sam to had many gashes as did the resilient Shrell but the four were soon battered to the point of hardly being able to drive another blow and only a mere two riders had plunged over the cliff side.

"We cannot win!" cried Sam, lifting his sword to drive it through one of the beast's back.

"If we run they shall follow, we can't escape" Shrell called in response, and slash appearing on her arm as one of the riders swung it's sword at her.

"You have a chance..." Sam started, then paused before continuing. "You have a chance. I can withhold them long enough for you to escape.

"No Samwise!" Shrell growled, "We're not leaving you!"

"It's your only chance! You'll die if you stay! So what will it be? Me or Middle-Earth?" 

Those words hit Frodo as could and sharp as daggers of ice. He felt hot tears begin to boil in his eyes in cascade down his cheeks. Blood dripped down his face mixing with the hot tears as he dodged another blade.

"I'm not leaving you, Sam" Frodo cried.

"Shrell....." Sam started, "Please, for Frodo's sake do this, else it ends here." Sam's eyes were pleading but he showed no fear of being left to fight the creatures. Shrell looked up in panic at the sky, not sure what to do and wishing Sam hadn't cast the task of ripping Frodo from him.

"Will stays-s-s and fight with the braves-s-s one" Smeagol hissed.

"No, you are the one who knows the way, Smeagol. You must lead them" Sam ordered. 

"Sam is right" Shrell whispered, hanging her head and swallowing back her tears.

"No! I won't leave him!" Frodo growled.

Shrell darted past the many swinging blades and grabbed hold of Frodo. She began to pull him away from the battle.

"No! Let go!" Frodo cried, struggling.

"Don't make this any harder" Shrell pleaded, trying to look away from the brave Samwise.

"Let me go!" 

Shrell could no longer withhold tears. They fell from her eyes and his the blood-stained ground.

"Samwise!" She called, taking one step towards him. Sam turned to her. "May Valar smile upon you!" 

Sam nodded, his eyes to were tear-filled as Shrell pulled Frodo away.

"Don't you dare die, Sam! You can't! I...." but that was all before the struggling Frodo lost sight of Sam.

Frodo soon found himself on the cliffs above, looking down on the battle. The scene looked familiar. The riders...Slowly closing in. Sam, ready to fight to the death. The sudden image of the ring flashed in Frodo's mind. He reached into his pocket and began to finger it. A sudden flash of a memory darted through his mind. He remembered falling in to a deep sleep. He remembered dreaming of Sam and the riders. He suddenly knew what would happen if he put on the ring and again a vision played through his head of the faithful Samwise being run through with the Nazguls' blades.

Frodo released the ring and let out a deep breath, turning away from the battle as another tear fell down to the rocks as he played back the fight in his mind. His gaze shifted to Shrell, was watching Sam fight off the creatures.

"Does it please you?" Frodo growled. Shrell turned around, a look of confusion and sadness in her eyes. "You left him there to die! I would have stayed with him to the end!" Frodo spat, stepping closer to her and raising a hand. "How...How could you!" he cried, breaking into tears again. He took his raised hand and brought his palm down hard across her cheek, leaving a harsh red mark. 

Shrell brought a blood-stained hand to the mark, her eyes still tightly closed from the blow.

Smeagol was up behind them in instants, observing the scene with a peculiar confusion.

"Are we leavings-s-s-s?" he asked. 

Shrell looked questioningly at Frodo.

"Yes" he answered, coldly. He watched Shrell let out a long sigh and drop her hand from the mark and follow after the leading Smeagol. He felt a sudden flame of guilt engulf him as realized that Shrell had only done what Sam commanded, no matter how hard it was on herself. 

'She did it for my sake, and yet....I punished her."

To be continued....

A/N: Yup, Frodo did have a dream about the riders and Sam awhile back (ch. 17). I'm not totally with out a plot and I'm not making up nonsense while I go along. Oh, and for those of you that did know I didn't mean to right valor instead of Valar. If you don't know what/who Valar is then I suggest you read some sort of LotR history.


	37. Lost from Reality

"Days! Days-s-s-s! And the hobbits-s-s-s-s will not rest! We're tired, we are!"

The three slowly climbed another ledge, Smeagol refusing to be quiet. He had taken quite enough of the rock scaling.

"No, we cannot stop yet" Frodo commanded, starting up another ledge. Shrell smiled sadly at Smeagol, who began to rock back and forth on his heels, hissing and whimpering.

"None of our suffering will be in vain" Shrell whispered, giving the tired creature a hand up over a jagged ledge. Frodo stared down at the two. He felt in his heart that the ring had done something to him; changed him.

"Do you let your heart and life rest in the hands of fate, Shcoligrafa?" Frodo growled, rolling his eyes.

Shrell did not reply, she simply continued on beside Frodo.

The rocks continued to get steeper and steeper. The air also had become very hot, like smoke rising from a fire. This was Mount Doom, they were nearing the end of their journey; or nearing the end of their lives.

"We cannot go on without food, precious! We will straves-s-s-s-s! Please will the Master stops-s-s-s, Please let the Master take pity!" Smeagol hissed, his eyes wide and pleading.

Frodo looked at Shrell, who was gazing at the smoky sky, her eye brows furrowed. Her vision shifted back to Frodo. 

"Smeagol is right, we need food" she stated, her lips tight. Frodo nodded.

"We'll spread out, then. Collect whatever you can" he replied, "Meet back here by dark." And with that the three were off.

Kneeling on another rock, Frodo began to pluck the few withered grasses that were growing up between the weathered rocks. There were dry and wilted but still the biggest patch that Frodo had come across. He sighed and hoped that the others were having better luck than he. Standing up again, he slowly made his way to another patch of dry grass. 

Only three or so strands of the weeds grew through the rocks, leaving Frodo very discouraged. He grimaced and plucked them, leaning back on his heels and looking at the gray sky with tired eyes. He needed rest.

~~

Frodo was the first to return. The sun was low in the sky and it was almost dark. The Hobbit had but a handful of grass and hardly had the strength to pick another of the weeds. He lay back, his hands placed behind his head. He began to dream of the Shire, of the long grassy fields, the warm sun, the light breeze.

A hissing awoke Frodo from his thoughts. Smeagol was staggering up the rocks with a leafy branch in his mouth, a look of annoyance on his face. Behind him was a small, black creature, climbing up the rocks and scurrying around his feet. 

Frodo laughed. Aquarius had returned. The tiny beast ran towards Frodo and jumped onto his shoulder with much ease, Smeagol huffing up the rocks behind. He sat beside Frodo, setting the branch down with the grass.

"We'll starves-s-s! This isn't fair! Smeagol does what Master wants-s-s! Smeagol is faithful! Why must Smeagol starves-s?" He hissed and whimpered, looking up at the now dark skies. "Of courses-s-s" he started,"We could eats the nasty black beasties-s-s!" he snickered, looking at Aquarius, who snarled.

Frodo hardly noticed. He was tired. Rest was all that could fill his mind, he needed rest. Yet sleep seemed so impossible. He tried to thick of something different. 'Maybe Shrell has found something. Maybe that's what's taking her so long..." He mused.

It seemed like ages had passed and Shrell still had not returned. Frodo was pacing over the rocks, his eyes moving back and forth. 

"She should be back by now" he pondered, stopping. He again scanned the cliffs but she was not in sight. He began to pace again but soon sat down on the rocks again, sweat breaking out on his forehead.

Only about five minutes later the sound of foot steps could be heard from behind the stones. Frodo shot to his feet.

"Shrell?" he cried then waited for a reply.

"Yes?" came the voice of the female hobbit. She sounded tired and somewhat troubled.

Frodo took a few steps in her direction, Watching her appear over the rocks. 

Frodo stepped back in shock when he saw her. Over her shoulder was a huge arm. She was hauling an Orc. Frodo felt his throat tighten and his stomach began to feel ill.

"What do you think your doing?" Frodo cried, in disgust. Shrell rolled the Orc off her shoulder in front of him.

"This is no time to be picky. We'll starve if we eat merely grass" she answered, looking over at what Smeagol and Frodo had collected. Frodo sighed, knowing she was right.

It was a terrible sight watching Shrell butcher the Orc. Frodo had seen her lips looking very tight and her eye brows furrowed as she cut into the giant beast. Half the time he found himself looking away but the sound of Shrell's thin dirk cutting at the Orc's flesh would always convince him to look back at the butchery.

Soon Shrell had cut a good amount of meat from the Orc. She looked displeased as she slowly wiped the Orc blood from her face. 

"Do you wish to risk a fire?" Shrell questioned, turning to Frodo. He looked over at the meat and winced.

"Yes, I'm not eating that raw."

Eating the meat was twice as bad as watching Shrell cut it. It had a very bitter taste and it was hard and chewy. Frodo and Shrell hardly were able to eat it but their hunger had the better of them. Smeagol was the only one who seemed to enjoy the meat and soon it was gone. 

"Satisfied, aren't we, precious?" Smeagol gloated, leaning back on the rocks. Aquarius curled up as well and began to sleep as well.

Frodo sighed. He wanted sleep more than ever but he couldn't rest. His eyes darted back and forth as he lay on the rocks, then slowly he closed them. All he could think of was the Ring. It seemed to hang in his mind like fog dwindles over a pond. He could see it, feel the cold metal in his hand. 

Frodo's eyes shot open. Everything was quiet besides the faint crackling of the dying fire as Shrell poked at the still warm coals, creating a soft, warm glow around the companions. 

Shrell was nearly motionless now, her eyes fixed on the glowing coals, reflecting the golden light on their glassy surface. She seemed to be illuminated by the soft light, her face was perfectly visible, though a yellow flicker cast upon it. Her hair as well looked gold in the warmth of the dying fire, but she seemed unaware......not her usual alert self. She seemed lifeless. 

Frodo watched her silently. What was she thinking of? Why were her eyes so emotionless? She was hardly breathing, it was as if she were dead, gone from this world and the only thing that was keeping her physical body from disappearing was Frodo himself. Just an invisible rope of the mind and dreams kept her from falling. 

Her eyes suddenly closed as if she were pained by something. A very soft tune rose from her lips, almost as quiet as the air itself. A lonely song of solitude and loss. Frodo had never heard a tune as this. He felt that he had lost her completely, that she would never again be the fearless, brave Shrell. He had leaned his fears on her and she had taken the burden and was always there for him. Whenever he gave up, she would strive forward for him. When fear consumed him, she would be his bravery. She was strong when he was weak. She would guide him if he was lost. But when she was lost, hopeless, and fearful who would be there? Who could she turn to? All she had was the night sky and her lonely ballad of grief which she whispered into the air.

'I was never truly thankful for all she did for me. I never saw her grief. All I saw was my own. My fear, my confusion, my weakness, my burden. She carried them all for me. I am not the true bearer of the Ring, for she has carried it for me....'

Frodo rose from the rocks. He slowly approached her, his hands trembling. She could not hear his footsteps, she didn't know he was there. She was lost, lost in the night air. 

Frodo slowly placed a hand on her shoulder. She did not move, did not feel. 

"Shrell.....You must come back to this world now..." Frodo whispered. He could feel the connection she had to reality begin to disappear, he could feel the rope beginning to break. "Come back."

Her eyes suddenly opened. She was not lost. She swallowed hard, her eyes brimming with tears. 

"Are you that alone?" Frodo whispered. 

"No..." she started, shaking her head. "I have you and....No, I'm not alone..." she murmured, her breath shaky from with holding tears. Frodo could see in her eyes that she was trying to escape from the journey. It had been too long. She needed peace.

"Then tell what it is you run from" Frodo inquired.

"I just....I'm weak with fear. Day by day I grow more afraid and as we near the end of our journey it becomes more clear to me what will happen if we should fail. That's what I run from.....I run from a vision of pain on sorrow. A vision of Middle Earth once we've failed. It is too plain that fate rests in our hands."

"And those would have meant nothing to me if I did not see you as I do now. I had no one leaning on me. If ever I had a problem I could trust you to take it from my shoulders. So.....fate was never resting 'our' hands, it was resting in your hands."

Shrell took in a deep breath and sighed. She smiled faintly and rose her head to look at the sky above. 

"I have taken to much from you and I beg your forgiveness" Frodo pleaded. Shrell shook her head. "No, what you took I was willing to give. I thought I needed no one but I was wrong. No one could make this journey alone and that's why I have become weak. I thought I could" she answered, her eyes were starting to regain their fire. "So,I admit now that I can't do this alone."

Frodo smiled and flung his arms around her. "You won't have to. I will always be here" Frodo whispered into her ear. Shrell closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around Frodo. 

" If your burden becomes unbearable, do not make my mistake. No one could make this journey alone" Shrell answered. She was silent for a second. "Thankyou" she finally whispered. 

To be continued


	38. Worst of Ending

"Getsss up!"

Frodo awoke to the irritable voice of Smeagol but refused to get up.

"We can't wake it! It won't move! Helpses us!" Smeagol wailed.

There was no answer for a long time. Shrell sat on the rocks, breaking a twig into pieces.

"Let him sleep. We are near our journey's end. It won't be long. Let him rest...." she trailed off.

~~

Frodo slowly opened his eyes. He felt drained. There was no sun. He looked around. Smeagol was lying on the rocks, Aquarius sprawled across his stomach. Frodo felt his heart ache. How brave they had all been. He didn't want to loose any of them. 

He suddenly realized that Shrell was missing. He scanned the rocks over and over again but she was gone.

"Smeagol, where's Shrell?" he asked, his eye brows furrowed. Smeagol rested one of his elongated hands on Aquarius' head.

"Wentsss peeking and sneaking to seessss the dark ones-s-s. Doesn't want them followings us," Smeagol answered, sighing slightly.

Frodo nodded and started over the rocks. He didn't have to look long to find Shrell. She was sitting on a ledge overlooking the Nazgul. He saw her mouth form Sam's name in a horrified sorrow.

"Shrell?" Frodo placed a hand on her shoulder. She remained staring down at them but placed her hand on top of his.

"When will it end?" she mused.

She stood and turned to Frodo. Her eyes closed in thought.

"Sam and I destroyed the Ring...Yet it has returned. Will it come back again?" Frodo asked, looking at the thick, gray sky.

"I do not know, Frodo."

Shrell shook her head, then gazed back over the dead lands. 

"I miss them," she murmured, faintly.

"As do I. What of Sam? What has become of him? He gave his life for us...." Frodo stared at the creatures below. Cold and feelingless, they would have torn Sam apart without a thought of pity.

Shrell shook her head.

"No. He would have killed the immortal and defied death to keep his word to you." She paused. "As would I."

Frodo felt his heart jolt. It was not of happiness, though. It was grief. Shrell would give her life for him and even near the end he could see hope in her clear eyes. Hope that he saw nowhere else.

He swallowed hard and pulled her into a bitter embrace.

"You already defied death. Twice," he whispered, resting his cheek on her hair.

"Third time pays for all," she choked. She then pulled away, looking down at the Nazgul. "We must go. We we'll reach the fires of Doom by nightfall. Come Frodo."

Frodo sighed and tried to follow but found it impossible to move. He fell to his knees, panting. Shrell turned around.

"Are you alright?"

Frodo reached into his pocket, the Ring was cold and heavy. The Ring! That was why he could not move.

"Yes....Fine."

He summoned up his strength and pulled himself to his feet, climbing over the rocks after Shrell.

~~

They departed without a word, Smeagol leading with Aquarius at his feet. The sky was thick and the Ring was heavy. On and on they trudged, their eyes on the fiery mountain not far above. Fumes filled the air and smoke stung their eyes. Mount Doom was merciless.

"Sauron the Black....once a wizard, now the Lord of Darkness..." Frodo whispered.

"Slave of power," Shrell answered, blinking back tears from the heat and smoke. Smeagol burst into a fit of coughing. He muttered and hissed and continued, his face black with soot, as was Frodo's and Shrell's.

Suddenly Frodo began to stagger, trying to keep himself up. The Ring, it was so heavy. Such a small thing could truly reflect it's evil. Frodo fell to his knees, his palms on the rocks. He tried to crawl but it was no use.

"Frodo?"

Shrell turned and doubled back.

"The Ring feels so heavy....." Frodo gasped, tears from the smoke trickling down his cheeks. Shrell grimaced and placed his arm over her shoulder.

"We must keep going, for Middle-Earth..."

They continued on far into the night, Frodo slowing down their pace greatly.

"Stop, Smeagol. We must rest," Shrell called, dropping Frodo off her back. "I can carry him no farther."

Smeagol nodded. They sat among the rocks, no one saying a word, their hearts heavy.

Frodo scanned the group. Smeagol was running a finger over Aquarius' head. Even the small creature seemed to know what was coming. It stared up at Smeagol with it's neon pink eyes. Shrell was wearing a brave sort of grimace. She looked ready to face the end. Frodo felt a lump rise in his throat and he felt sickened. His shoulders were beginning to ache more potently and he found himself slumping to bear the weight of the Ring.

No one rested. Fear and sorrow were too geat of things to be surpassed by sleep. So Frodo stared up at the gray-black sky, paralyzed by the great weight of the Ring. He could except his fate, but he could not except theirs. If were to die, then so be it. But couldn't they live?

~~

The day was as black as the night, or was it night? There wasn't a difference. The Ring was so heavy, it drained Frodo with every step. Every few strides he'd collapse. Smeagol and Shrell had grown so used to this that they hardly paid any heed. Frodo felt very alone. He wished with all his heart that Shrell would turn to face him and give him a burst of strength with a word of wisdom, but Shrell continued on, looking fierce and brave. Frodo had seen that face before, the look of having nothing to lose and facing danger with no regret. He had seen that face before....

Even as Shrell was short and her stride was small, Frodo could see some part of Aragorn in her. That look he had once worn was now placed an her face. Frodo could feel that all of them were with him. His companions, dead or alive, would always be with him.

"Frodo."

He turned to see Shrell, her eyes softened by the smoke. He nodded.

"You'll be free from all of this soon. Hold on a little longer."

Frodo could see the fires raging in Mt. Doom as she spoke. It would not be long now. He forced himself to take another step, but with a cry of agony he doubled over. Shrell's eyes widened.

"Smeagol!" she cried. "Help me carry him."

Smeagol scampered over the rock to Frodo's other side. They both lifted him by the arms and continued. They staggered towards those eerie fires. Every part of Frodo wanted to run. He looked at Shrell and Smeagol's determined faces and pushed on every part of him swelling with pain.

He would be content to die when this was through. He would see the Ring to it's end, but after that he would fight no longer. Death would be welcomed. He did not want the same for Shrell, though. He knew that she would gladly die with him, but he wanted her to live. A thought in the back of his mind kept at him, though. A voice, a low, hard voice.

'But you're the one that is meant to live, you're the one,' it whispered. But he did not want to live.

~~

The fires, the fumes. Frodo choked. He couldn't see where he was but he could sense it. The Ring had grown so heavy that even Smeagol and Shrell were nearly crawling, but it didn't really matter. They were so close now that if they crawled it wouldn't make a difference. It haze that covered his eyes cleared and an energy so powerful seared through him.

"Frodo?" Shrell called. Her voice was distant. Frodo wanted her close, he was afraid. He swallowed and looked into the flames.

"Frodo, cast the Ring into the fires!"

She was behind him somewhere. He extended his hand, Ring clasped tight within it. 

Suddenly there was a burst of flame and Frodo was thrown backwards. Pain encased his body. He looked up. Above him loomed a shadow, a spirit. An eye wreathed in pain bore into his soul. The Dark Lord, Sauron. 

A cry came from beside him. Frodo turned to see Shrell, dagger in each hand. She dove at the Dark Lord, her eyes blazing.

'No, Shrell. It's useless. He does not have physical form, you cannot defeat him....' but his thoughts were in vain and not a word could penetrate the air around them. 

Shrell flung herself again and again at the spirit in useless attempt, each time being thrown back against the rocks. He daggers had no effect. Blood dripped down her hands and her face, her eyes were gray, as though dead. 

"No!" Frodo cried, but his words could not be heard.

Shrell shuddered, the blood draining from her face. She hurled herself against the Dark Lord again. She was flung to the ground on the ledge over looking the fires.

Shrell staggered to her feel, looking pale and forlorn, but fierce. She gripped her daggers tightly. Sauron approached her, the figurless shadow seemed to grow larger. 

Suddenly the tips of Shrell's blades began to crack and crumble to dust. Then the rest of her blades crumbled, and last the hilts. She tilted her palms upward as the last grains of dust sifted through her fingers. She looked up at Sauron, her eyes filled with hatred and fear.

Frodo had never seen Shrell look like that. The fear in her eyes was unbearable and chilled him to the bone. He was so afraid.

Shrell's gaze shifted to him. The fear faded from her face and her eyes seemed to lighten and regain the color of the water, even though the hope was gone. Then she closed them. A shudder ran through her body, then she was perfectly still. A peaceful smile crossed her deathly face. 

Then her eyes opened. They were hard and dead, gray. She turned from Frodo. She tilted her arms upwards. Then she tuned and plunged into the flames.

Frodo couldn't breath. Hot tears blurred his vision. In rage he dove at the Dark Lord, only to be thrown back. Blood and tears filled his eyes. He flung himself again and again at the Dark Lord. Again and again he hit the rocks.

Frodo wiped the the blood from his eyes. He looked behind him. The fires raged and the smoke made his eyes sting. In the midst of the fumes he could see that deathly image of Shrell as she leapt in to the flames.

He wanted to join her. He moved closer to the edge. He let his body fall forward. He knew it would end there. Suddenly he stopped falling. Something held him around both shoulders as he stared into the flames.

'But you're the one that was meant to live, you're the one....'

Frodo extended his hand and dropped the Ring. It spun around and around and finally disappeared into the abyss.

Frodo turned to face the Dark Lord. Two shadowy hands stretched upwards. Screams and shrieks filled the air around him. Sauron's fingers crumbled and faded to dust, then the arms and hands until there was nothing left. 

Frodo collapsed on the ground.

"No! It wasn't supposed to happen this way," he sobbed. "Let me die here! Let me die now!"

'But you are the one that's meant to live......"

To be continued.


	39. A Story Begun

April 19

So it was light, it seemed dark. Was this the same Shire he had known? Yes, but he saw it through different eyes. 

They had changed, too. Merry, Pippin, and Sam. 

She wouldn't have changed. Nothing ever would change her now. He remembered her, but so slightly. Memories brouht pain, like a dull knife and she was fading in his mind. Did he care?

So it was light, it seemed dark.

Her face seemed to clear in his mind and she smiled at him. He tried to reach out towards her but his fingers slipped through the air, but she was still there.

"Frodo?"

It was her, but he knew she was gone.

"I promise not to forget you...." he started. She was fading.

"These memories will bring you nothing and yet you cling to them in the darkness of your grim world. Perhaps you should forget." She turned away.

"I will not forget you!"

But she was gone. Hot tears stung his eyes. 

"I will not forget!"

So it was light, it seemed dark.

~~

Seven aprils passed and another had dawned. A hobbit sat in the warm rays of the setting sun. The desk in front of him was a blank book. He chewed the end of the quill then began like this........

March 21

The Shire. It came into view, 

but it was not the peaceful Shire once 

known to the halflings......


	40. Third Time Pays for All

October 24

Frodo sat alone in his study. He loooked over his complete book. 

"Yes, I'm afraid the story must end there," he said with a sigh. 

The ending was rather miserable but it would have to be that way. He culdn't bring her back.

Perhaps the pain had dulled and diminished. He could look back now and merely sigh a regretful sigh, but he missed her.

"Somethings were meant to be, I guess."

But that was not like him. He couldn't have said that when she jumped into the abyss and he shouldn't have said it now.

There was a sudden knock on the door. Frodo rose and slowly made his way to the door. He expected to see Merry, Pippin, or Sam (perhaps all three). 

"Probably Pippin," he said to himself, "this is an unreasonable hour."

He approached the door and unlached it. Then slowly he turned the nob and pushed the door open.

Everything seemed to suddenly go ascew. The sun was casting the skies on fire, the grass was red in the rays of the fading sun, but these were details compaired to what he saw.

A halfling stood infront of him. She was fairly tall. Her clothes were rather tattered and the cloak about her shoulders was fraying. She had a long scar across her face and very liquid blue eyes. 

Frodo choked. His eyes were swelling with tears.

"Shrell?" 

The hobbit looked somewhat bewildered.

"Frodo?" she answered in the same tone he had used, as if to mock him.

"But-" he started. 

She placed a finger on his lips.

"Third time pays for all."

Frodo sobbed. He flung his arms around her and she was truly there. Of all the illusions he had seen, he could not be more surprised that this was not one. The dull pain became a searing stab and then was gone. 

Frodo stared into Shrell's eyes. She had defied death one last time for him. Smiling, he placed a hand on her cheek and slowly leaned forward. 

His lips touched hers very lightly and he could feel her tears on his fingertips. She leaned closer and placed a hand at the back of his head. 

Frodo again felt tears running down his cheeks but now he did not mind. He embraced Shrell, again feeling relief when she did not disapear.

Then Shrell slowly pulled away. She wiped one of Frodo's tears away with her hand and kissed him softly on the forehead.

"Frodo," she whispered, "I believe you will need to add more onto your book. 

Frodo looked stunned then he suddenly smiled.

"I guess I will..."

Shrell's smile broadened.

"You should invite Merry, Pippin, and Sam over for tea," she paused, "And perhaps a game of cards.

At that Frodo did something that he hadn't done in ages; he truly laughed.

The End


End file.
